Turning Point Missions Continues Partnership with Living Hope Mission (Haiti)
Turning Point Missions plans to continue working with Living Hope Missions regarding the four important projects listed below. These projects are different from the Village filter systems in that Haitian men and women will be hired and trained to undertake this work so that the programs are ongoing even when mission teams are not in Haiti.
We know that these programs will significantly improve the health of the Haitian people in the NE part of the country.
The March 2017 TPM team with Wilbert Merzilus, Executive Director of Living Hope Missions, Haiti.
1. Hygiene Program
Hire a Haitian nurse to teach personal hygiene in the fifteen grade schools and with the local women in the villages around the school. It has been shown by the World Health Organization that teaching simple hand washing techniques can significantly increase the health of people. The estimated annual cost for the hygiene program is $10,000 which includes salaries, transportation and educational supplies.
2. Pump Repair
Begin a formal hand pump repair/replacement program staffed by trained Haitian workers. Hand pumps are the only source of water in many areas and when they do not work people are often forced to rely on contaminated sources for their water. The estimated cost of 135 new hand pumps, with piping and associated equipment, shipped to Haiti is $75,000 to $85,000. The annual salaries and transportation costs for the Haitian team is estimated at $10,000.
3. Well Drilling
Purchase a well drilling rig so that new wells can be drilled in areas where women and children walk for miles to get water, and where a well would be helpful for LHM's agricultural program. Again a team of Haitian men will be trained to do this work and mission teams from the US will have a chance to work alongside them. The drill rig, pickup truck, and associated equipment will cost in excess of $100,000. Annual salaries will be $10,000.
Photo of a Drilling Rig Needed for Future Wells
4. Haitian Company
Start a Haitian company which will build 5-gallon family filters units for use in outlying areas where the current water supply is not suitable for use. These filters can provide the daily water needs of a family of four for years if they are maintained properly. A maintenance program will be part of the company’s responsibility. The cost of the components for the first 1200 family filters would be approximately $60,000 ($50 each) including shipping to Haiti.
Cross-section of the 5 gallon family filter
Expanding Outside of Haiti
Turning Point Missions is currently exploring other opportunity outside of Haiti where clean water is needed. We have been asked to work with a missionary couple in the Andes Mountains of Peru to provide the 5-gallon family filters there. To date we have provided 15 such filters which are currently used by the pastors serving several villages in that area.
Additionally, we may have the opportunities to serve some of the villages in the mountainous areas outside of Pueblo, Mexico where the elevation is such that wells can not be drilled and surface water or springs are the only source of water. Both of these locations bring with them the chance to tell the people there about the “Good News of the Living Water of Jesus Christ”. We will keep our website updated as to these potential opportunities.
Turning Point Missions will need additional sources of funding in order to undertake these ambitious goals. We hope that you will consider partnering with us to accomplish these important goals.