Solar Well Project for Rural Haitian Communities

Haiti Outreach has created more than 500 rural community managed wells in the country of Haiti in the last 26 years. These have always been hand pump wells, requiring people to physically pump the well handle to obtain the subsurface water. Hand pumps are less expensive and simple to operate and repair. However, smaller children and older people are often unable to operate them, as it takes some height and strength to do so. Everyone would prefer to have an electric pump on their well, in which case they would only need to turn a spigot to get the water. But there is no electrical grid in rural Haiti, so each well would require its own power source. Generators require gasoline to operate, which is expensive and very difficult to get at
times in Haiti. A solar powered system would be ideal, but electrifying a well with solar panels and an electrical pump is quite expensive – almost $10,000 per well.

Haiti Outreach has had great support from many Rotary Clubs over the years. Here in Minnesota, six Rotary Clubs, along with the Rotary Club of Pignon, Haiti, have contributed toward a Rotary District Grant that would enable us to have the funds to convert two hand pump community managed wells to a solar powered electrical pump system. The Rotary Club of Pignon, along with Haiti Outreach, have selected the communities of Bafon Kajou and Paskayimit, which have managed their hand pump wells very successfully over the past few years and are eager to have a solar powered system.

We look forward to creating these systems and holding their inaugurations by late spring. We will be happy to share the photos of the celebrations with our Haiti Outreach community. We are extremely grateful to the Rotary Clubs of Minneapolis Uptown, Chanhassen, City of Lakes, Crystal/Robbinsdale/New Hope, E-Club of Global Travelers, and Edina Morningside, as well as the host Rotary Club of Pignon, for their support and participation that makes this project possible! Thank you!