Living water

Thousands of Haitians gathered in churches Friday for a national day of mourning marking the one-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake. As the official death toll has already climbed to 230,000 people, the fear is that many more Haitians will die from deadly diseases associated with contaminated water and sewage.

In the capital of Port-au-Prince, the circumstances are daunting with 87 of the city's 100 water towers damaged. Even with the help of multiple aid groups, Haitians are not getting enough water: Each of the 2.5 million people in the city needs one gallon of water to drink and three more gallons to wash and cook.

This is where Water Missions International (WMI) steps in, an organization set on helping a billion people around the world who do not have access to clean drinking water. Instead of providing one-time-use solutions such as sending in bottled water or disinfectant packets, WMI implements water treatment systems that can quickly purify water and provide clean drinking water for the whole community for years to come.

The organization's founders, chemical and environmental engineers George and Molly Greene, became aware of such water issues on a trip to Honduras in 1998 following Hurricane Mitch. At the request of an Episcopalian bishop, the Greenes were asked to design a water treatment plant to provide clean water to the area. Molly remembers this as a sort of "grown-up science fair project," but on a deeper level the couple was able to see the incredible need for sustainable clean water in developing countries. The Greenes ended up selling their environmental engineering company and starting the non-profit Water Missions International in 2001.

WMI has since set up its patented Living Water treatment system, which can provide clean drinking water for 3,000 to 5,000 people for 20 years, in communities in 40 different countries. They have also responded to disasters such as the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the China earthquake, the Burma (Myanmar) cyclone, and now the Haiti earthquake.

"These disasters really gets the world's attention, but everyday is a disaster for the millions of people with no clean water," Molly said.

WMI started working in Haiti in 2003 and already had 22 water projects in place when the earthquake hit. Since the earthquake a month ago, the group has implemented another 30 systems in hospitals, camps for the internally displaced, and local churches. There are another 40 en route, as are aluminum forms to build thousands of permanent sanitary latrines.

Molly differentiates between immediate relief and long-term community development: "When there's a disaster it's about getting it done as quickly as possible. Then afterward it's always about working in conjunction with the people."

The Living Water treatment system is designed to do just that: letting the local population operate and maintain the system themselves. It works just like a miniature water treatment plant-taking muddy water and pushing out clear, disinfected water-but it is designed to be easy to set up and operate in countries where people may not have any formal education. After training a few of the local people on how to use the treatment system and its solar power pumps, the community will be able to be self-sufficient in treating water for two decades.

More than just supplying people with clean water, Molly hopes to supply people with living water: "This ability to create physical water opens the doors to every place in the world. It gives us the opportunity to share when they ask 'Why do you do this?' Well, it's because we serve a mighty God who created you and loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him.

"We feel a real calling-everyone working here is called. It's not just an [nongovernmental organization] doing good works; we are called because the Lord touched us and said 'you are blessed to be a blessing to others.'"

Related coverage:

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