In August, we announced the establishment of a new community-based program, the Community Education Program (CEP), in Limonade, Haiti (read more). This community-driven program involves PWW training and supporting local community leaders, known as Lead Community Agents (LCAs, pictured right), to serve as WASH paraprofessionals. Trained LCAs deliver safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) trainings, by way of targeted community workshops, that reinforce healthy WASH practices among members of their communities in order to advance the ownership, efficacy and sustainability of the WASH programs.
Meet Lead Community Agent: Benjy Joachim
When asked what it means to him to be a Lead Community Agent with PWW, Benjy replied,
“I am happy to be a Lead Community Agent of Pure Water for the World. I like the way Pure Water for the World operates in my community. Honestly, I am proud to a Community Agent. Before, I worked for another organization as a Community Agent, but there is a big difference. Pure Water for the World has trained us and gives us more value in our community.”
Meet Lead Community Agent: Youseline Pierre
“I am Youseline Pierre. I have offered myself as a Lead Community Agent for PWW because I have found it to be a good thing for my community. With me as a Lead Community Agent, there have been many positive changes. Families have become very good at using their filters to drink good, treated water. They have begun to understand when they should was their hands and how to safely use latrines. I am ready to work even more so that everyone in my community can live healthy lives!“
We celebrate Youseline and all of the LCAs in Limonade, Haiti who are working hard, learning about critical WASH practices and sharing these lessons their fellow community members, in order to build the foundation for improved health and renewed hope in their communities. Their commitment is inspirational!
As a result of the CEP launch this year, trained LCAs have:
- Delivered three (3) training sessions, each of which contain multiple workshops.
- Reached 177 individuals in Pistère, a community in Limonade.
- Initiated training among 196 individuals who live in Deréal and Campeche, communities located in Limonade.
- Collaborated with PWW Haiti team to host community education events in celebration of Global Handwashing Day and World Toilet Day.
What’s more, with the support of LCAs, PWW hosted a deworming campaign in Pistère, reaching 1,200 residents. The campaign included the distribution of anti-parasitic medicine, administered by PWW’s partner Soaring Unlimited Medical Clinic (learn more), to the 1,544 individuals to remove existing parasites, worms, and intestinal pathogens that may be residing in their bodies as a result of drinking and using contaminated water. This process supports the elimination of existing intestinal illnesses and enables the individuals to have a clean system, which they are empowered to protect thanks to reliable access to safe water and the acquired knowledge of safe and healthy hygiene practices.
