Submitted by Dr. Samantha Ritchie for Vantage Physicians
Dr. Samantha Ritchie just returned from her annual medical mission to Haiti. She wanted to thank everyone for their generous donations to the Friends of Haiti, as the team was able to give away 100 Sawyer Mini Water Filters.
The Source, Trip to Haiti – 2015
One morning, I went for a walk with Louica, a dignified Haitian man who worked as an interpreter for the Friends of Haiti group in Grand Boulage. We met a young boy who was walking back from The Source, the stream where almost everybody gets water. The boy was carrying two big plastic bottles of water, tied together by a string. He looked to be about six, so he was probably 10 or so. He said he went to get the water every day for his family. He did not go to school, and he did not know how old he was.
I was curious about The Source, so we headed down the mountain. After a steep descent on a twisty, pebbly path, we finally came to The Source. Upstream, young women were bathing and washing clothes. 100 yards downstream, a pipe gushed out water from the stream, creating a little waterfall. It looked very inviting on that hot day. Young kids were collecting water in plastic bottles. Women were collecting water in 5 gallon buckets, which they carried on their heads.
We asked people there if they treated the water. Some people sometimes used Aquatabs, when they had them. (Aquatabs purify the water, and decrease the risk of bacterial or viral illnesses.) Lots of people don’t use them, however. As Louica explained, “They trust the water.” This is a dangerous trust, in a land where cholera is endemic.
Climbing back up the mountain, with good sneakers and no water balanced on my head, I was tired and sweaty. What for me was a pleasure hike, is a daily task for that little boy who did not know his own age. I know he is still carrying water each day. I am trying to remember him when I drink clean, clear water right out of the tap.
