On the night of September 18 Tropical Storm Jeanne grazed the north east of Haiti, dumping heavy rains on the deforested mountains there and sending a ten-foot wall of water down the Artibonite Valley and through the city of Gonaives. The flood alone killed approximately 3,000 residents of the city and surrounding area. The resulting humanitarian crisis made life virtually unbearable for a population already suffering extreme poverty.

Beyond Borders has no permanent presence in the Gonaives region. So, when the flood struck we immediately looked to our partner in mission in Haiti, the Limyè Lavi Foundation, to help identify organizations there that could make good use of funds.

So far we have received gifts totaling more than $50,000. Here is a list of the projects Limyè Lavi approved to be funded with this money as well as the local partners in Gonaives who are implementing the projects. Funding per project ranges from $8,000 to $15,000. Limyè Lavi will provide program oversight for these initiatives.

Water Treatment
Once the immediate risk of drowning from the flood in Gonaives had passed, the biggest health risk people faced came from contaminated drinking water. Clean water has had to be trucked in, which is expensive and unable to satisfy the entire need of the population. Children are particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases.

Consequently, we are funding a significant portion of a water purification project of the Intra-aid and Economic Development Foundation (FON’EDE). This project will bring a water treatment facility to Gonaives that will provide clean water to school children and other flood victims in and around Gonaives and will provide work for those running the plant.

School Rehabilitation

Because of the political unrest in Gonaives last school year, students there only completed four months of school. Then this school year was just about to start when Tropical Storm Jeanne struck. Many of the school buildings in Gonaives were heavily damaged or destroyed by the flooding. Even those that were not destroyed often lost their furniture and supplies. In survey responses the population of Gonaives cited the rehabilitation of these schools as one of their top priorities.

Through two local organizations, the Christian Foundation for Sustainable Development in Haiti (CFSDH) and the Association des Leaders Evangelique de Gonaives, Haiti (ALEGH), funds from Beyond Borders will rehabilitate, furnish, and supply at least twenty-five classrooms. World Relief is channeling funds to these schools and providing oversight along with Limyè Lavi.

Rehabilitation of Agricultural Infrastructure
Gonaives sits at the bottom of the Artibonite Valley, the largest river system and the most productive agricultural area in Haiti. The flood caused extensive damage to this important food production area. Crops, farm animals, mills, and grain and seed silos were washed away. Miles of concrete irrigation canals were destroyed or filled in with mud. Concrete spring caps that assured clean drinking water for some rural communities were washed away.