Newsline: Church helps Haitians access clean water during cholera outbreak

From CoBNews <[email protected]>
Date Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:20:51 -0600

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, [email protected]

CHURCH HELPS HAITIANS ACCESS CLEAN WATER DURING CHOLERA OUTBREAK

(Nov. 19, 2010) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren is providing 
help to communities and neighborhoods of L'Eglise des Freres Haitiens 
(the Haitian Church of the Brethren) to gain access to clean water 
during the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Jeff Boshart, Haiti coordinator 
for Brethren Disaster Ministries, returned Friday, Nov. 12, from a 
week visiting church leaders and partner organizations in Haiti.

One hundred new water filters have been distributed to the Haitian 
congregations by Brethren Disaster Ministries, with another 100 water 
filters to come. 

A new well dug with funding from Brethren Disaster Ministries has 
proved to be an artisian well capable of providing a steady flow of 
clean water for one neighborhood where Haitian Brethren live. 

Also, a cistern for collecting rainwater funded by the Church of the 
Brethren's Global Food Crisis Fund has been completed on the island 
of La Tortue. This cistern will serve a school supported by a Haitian 
Church of the Brethren congregation in Miami, Fla.

The Haitian Brethren are not severely affected by the epidemic, so 
far. "According to general secretary Jean Bily Telfort and moderator 
Yves Jean, except for the Peris congregation near St. Marc, where one 
church member lost her life to the epidemic, they have no other 
reports of anyone even being sick," Boshart said.

All of the congregations of Haitian Brethren have been informed about 
the need for disease prevention, according to Klebert Exceus, Haitian 
consultant to Brethren Disaster Ministries who supervises the 
disaster rebuilding projects. The government also is broadcasting 
information through media sources about how to avoid cholera. Media 
reports this week indicate that the death toll to cholera in Haiti is 
now over 1,100, with more than 18,000 people hospitalized for the 
disease.

Boshart, Exceus, and Jean met last week with Haiti staff of IMA World 
Health to do planning for the new Brethren health care initiative in 
Haiti. During the meeting, "IMA encouraged our churches to have water 
treated with chlorox, a basin, and soap available," in order to fight 
the spread of cholera, Boshart said. "They encouraged us to have all 
churchgoers wash their hands before entering their church buildings 
for worship."

In an aside, he added that Haiti mission coordinator and Miami pastor 
Ludovic St. Fleur joked, "Instead of being a church known for washing 
feet, we might become known as a church that washes hands."

A recent success is the artisian well dug just two weeks ago in an 
area of the city of Gonaives where Brethren have been building homes 
for disaster survivors. The well is in a neighborhood of 22 homes 
built together in a small community by Brethren Disaster Ministries 
in partnership with Sant Kretyen pou Devlopman Entegre (Christian 
Center for Integrated Development). Brethren Disaster Ministries 
funded the well, which was dug by an organization called Haiti 
Outreach. 

"After the well was completed, clean, drinkable water began pouring 
out all over the place, according to local residents," Boshart said. 
"Haiti Outreach staff have been drilling wells in Haiti for nearly 20 
years and this is only the second artisian well they have come across 
in all of that time. Not only these 22 families, but many neighbors 
are getting water there presently."

Brethren Disaster Ministries also is celebrating completion of its 
85th house in Haiti. "This is a special house," Boshart said, "as it 
is the first permanent house to be built for any of the Brethren 
earthquake victims."

The recipient family of Jean Bily Telfort, general secretary of the 
National Committee of L'Eglise des Freres, were among the over one 
million people displaced by the earthquake. After the earthquake he 
was offered a temporary shelter built by the Brethren, but declined 
saying it should be given to someone else. Since then, his wife and 
young son have been living with his mother-in-law some four hours 
away from their home community in Port-au-Prince. "The family is now 
reunited!" Boshart rejoiced.

The recipients of food and other aid in several communities, as well 
as the National Committee of the Haitian Brethren, have sent letters 
of thanks to Brethren Disaster Ministries for their support in this 
time of need.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to 
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out 
its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist 
and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace 
Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 
123,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has 
missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican 
Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>[email protected]