donation of the water purification unit from optima renovables€¦ · reconstruction project of...

Reconstruction Project of the Ça-Ira Children´s Home in Haiti

Donation of the Water Purification Unit from Optima Renovables

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Background Information from 2010

On January 12, 2010 the greatest earthquake in Haiti´s history shook the country with a magnitude 7.0

on the Richter scale. After the initial quake, aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitudes rapidly followed.

Due to close proximity of the epicenter to Port-au-Prince, mass destruction occurred throughout the

region as numerous buildings collapsed in the Haitian capital and the surrounding area. Official death

tolls number over 220,000, with unofficial estimates stating over 300,000 people have been killed.

From among the population of Haiti which numbers nine million, an estimated 3 million people have

been affected and are either injured or homeless. It is estimated that 1 million people continue to live

in temporary shelters, areas that are not always safe, especially because they tend to be vulnerable to

flooding during the rainy season.

The city of Leogane was hit especially hard during the earthquake and more than 90% of its buildings

were destroyed. Leogane is located 30km south of Port-au-Prince and is one of the most important

cities in the western province of Haiti.

“The streets of Haiti after the earthquake.”

2 Donation of the Water Purification Unit

The Ça-Ira Orphanage is located on the coast of Leogane and at the moment of the earthquake was caring for more than 100 orphans in extreme poverty. This orphanage was created in 1988 to care for boys and girls from all around the region who arrived at its doors looking for aid in the midst of great need. The main building where the children lived had two levels and was completely destroyed by the earthquake, burying with it 5 orphan children and 2 staff from the orphanage. The school run by the orphanage, made up of 200 students and 20 professors, was also destroyed by the earthquake.

This chaotic situation meant that the girls from the center had to start living in a temporary wood cabin of 50m² while the boys lived in camping tents. All of this occurred in the midst of inadequate sanitary facilities.

It was at this moment that our NGO GAiN established as its top priority to design a project to reconstruct this children´s home in Haiti. The goal was to restore hope to these children who had lost everything by meeting their needs with adequate living, food, clothes

Beginnings of the Ça-Ira Project

Some of the young children at the children´s home.

One of the fallen buildings inside the orphanage grounds.

Grace, a child that lives at the home.

Donation of the Water Purification Unit 3

Project Development by Phases

The project that we have designed has different phases which are being completed according to the proposed calendar.

The phases are as follows:

Phase 1: General planning of the project

10.2010-12.2010 Creation of technical project and the construction plans. Elaboration of the general budget. Fencing the property and remodeling the temporary buildings for the children and the project leaders.

01.2011-03.2011 Beginning of the implementation of the general plan.

Phase 2: Optimization of the property and preparing the ground

01.2011-06.2011 Tear down some of the old structures. Remove the ruins and rubble. Level the property. Topography or surveying of the streets, sidewalks and buildings (boys´ and girls´ residences and the staff housing.) Laying the sewage lines. General electric plan. Development of internet facilities.

Phase 3: Construction of the children´s residences and the staff housing

06.2011-06.2012 Construction of the boys´ and girls’ residences. Construction of the housing for the staff. Search for a water purification system.

Phase 4: Construction of the school

06.2012-06.2013 Construction of the schools for primary and secondary teaching.


Phase 5: Construction of multi-purpose facilities, health facilities and professional training facilities.

06.2013-06.2014 Construction of the health center. Construction of the administrative buildings. Construction of the kitchen and dining hall. Construction of the professional training facilities.

Phase 6: Construction of Priority Service Buildings

06.2014-06.2015 Construction of the auditorium. Construction of the nursery. Construction of the school´s administrative building.

Phase 7: Construction of the Support Buildings

06.2015-06.2016 Construction of two houses for visitors, volunteers and partners.

Phase 8: Self-sustaining Development

06.2016-06.2017 Creation of jobs, using the established infrastructure within the orphanage, working toward long-term independence for the project.


After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the destruction of many of the existing infrastructures in

the country, safe drinking water became one of the principal needs throughout the misery-stricken

country. The Ça-Ira children´s home, which cares for one hundred disadvantaged children, did not have

access to 100% safe, clean water at any moment after the devastation produced by the earthquake.

As a first step, the decision was made to buy water in great quantities which was brought in by

trucks. However, because of the incredibly high cost of this water, it was among our objectives to find

a long-term sustainable solution to meet the basic needs for potable water.

This led to a decision within the project to build a new well, which was accomplished in the spring of

2011. Since then, it has been GAiN´s high priority to obtain a water purification unit for the children´s

home, which could purify the water from the well that was built and assure good quality, potability

and safety at the same time.

Need for clean water at the children´s home



GAiN Spain and OPTIMA RENOVABLES

At the beginning of 2012 a relationship started to grow between GAiN Spain and OPTIMA RENOVABLES. After several very positive meetings with the directors of the entity, the result was a donation of a water purification machine, designed and built by OPTIMA RENOVABLES, making it possible for GAiN to use it in the Ça-Ira project in Haiti.

The water purification unit was ideal for a project like ours as it had the capacity to generate enough clean water to cover the needs of everyone living and working at Ça-Ira.

The second crucial aspect of the machine was that it could function independently by solar power to produce the clean water, which meant that it would not need any other energy alternative, which are very expensive and very difficult to access in a country like Haiti.

In a very intentional way, Optima Renovables took the initiative to look for and motivate several investors who could cover the cost of construction of the unit, which made the donation possible.

Sending the Purification Machine to Haiti

In April 2012 and after signing a protocol agreement between both parties, OPTIMA RENOVABLES

delivered the purification unit to GAiN, by sending it immediately to GAiN Germany´s warehouse in

Giessen. Later the unit was shipped in a container to Haiti on April 26, 2012. After the container arrived

at the Port-au-Prince capital in the middle of June, we had the expectation that it would take four to

six weeks to pass through customs, based on prior experiences.

Unfortunately, the expected waiting period was much greater

than we had hoped, as it was not until November that the

authorities informed us that permission had been granted to

pick up the container without having to pay additional taxes.

This allowed us to begin the final process of transportation of

the machine to our warehouse in Croix de Bouquet, east of

Port-au-Prince.

Finally, the water purification machine was delivered and

unloaded at the children´s home at the end of November 2012.

The machine´s location within the compoundThe water purification system was received by our international and local staff who are working at the

children´s home. They proceeded to set up the machine.

The decision was made to locate the machine on the roof of one of the central buildings at the children´s home.

This location is idea because it is very centralized within the compound which allows a perfect accessibility

of the water.

This location also allows the unit to be exposed to the sun for the maximum number of hours in the day.

In addition, this location also allows for the machine to be in a secure position, out of reach of people and

vehicles, protecting the solar panels from potential damage.

Starting up the Purification UnitAfter receiving the unit at the children´s home, our team proceeded to connect the machine to our water supply

and created a water spigot in an accessible spot, very visible inside the compound to provide easy access.

The entire process was carried out in accordance to the instruction manual issued by OPTIMA RENOVABLES.

Control and Maintenance of the Purification UnitAt the end of December 2012 an engineer who partners with GAiN set up an ongoing evaluation system of

the machine with a device to analyze the water, a way to evaluate its quality regularly. This will allow us to

share the available data and information with OPTIMA RENOVABLES as a way to ensure its success in the

process and control of possible contingencies.


The Purification Unit

The Location of the Unit


“Location of the Purifica-tion Unit within the com-pound”

The local people benefitting from the

donation

The purification unit is producing

enough clean, safe water for 100

people, among whom are children and

staff living within the children´s home,

as well as more than 220 children from

the village who attend the local school

within the compound.

In addition to this, the news that the

children´s home has acquired fresh,

clean water has spread beyond the

walls of the children´s home, and many

people from neighboring villages have

come to ask for water, which has been

completely available to them as well.

This fact makes us optimistic, knowing

that as time passes and the word of

clean water continues to spread, the

potential use of the clean water that

this machine produces will increase

exponentially in this area where

completely safe and potable water is a

need that still has not been met since

the 2010 earthquake took place.


The People Benefitting

Appreciation

Once again, we would like to express our profound gratitude for the fantastic collaboration between

OPTIMA RENOVABLES and GAiN. The need for long-term sustainable solutions regarding potable

water was of extreme importance for our project and, in general, for the neighboring villages around

the children´s home.

THANK YOU to OPTIMA RENOVABLES for this generous donation and for partnering together with

us BUILDING HOPE for the children of Haiti.

GAiN (Global Aid Network) December 2012


Address Telephone Internet DonationsAvd. Jaume I, Nº1, Piso 2º 08226 Terrassa (Barcelona)

Tel.: 93 118 1 118Mobile: 663 338 000

[email protected]/Gain.org.es

La Caixa:2100 0886 04 0200254170

Rubén Rivera

Project Coordinator for Spain

[email protected]

CifG65380180

Reconstruction Project of the Ça-Ira Children´s Home in Haiti

Global Aid Network Global Aid Network

donation of the water purification unit from optima renovables€¦ · reconstruction project of...

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