Sanitation for Haiti’s School Kids

Only six years ago, Esnel Michel received his water engineering degree through a grant from Water Charity Fundraising (WCF). Today, he is leading a program that will train and empower a team of young water technicians to build and restore toilets for 7,900 students at public schools in some of the poorest areas in Port-au-Prince.

“When I started my studies, I did not know anything about water, that it is the vital element of our planet… the source of life for humanity”, states Esnel. “Studying Water Technology is one of the best choices I could have made in my life.”

Education is critical to reach a long-term solution to Haiti’s dangerous lack of sanitation. Human Rights Watch has reported that nearly 60% of Haiti’s schools have no toilets or access to water. Children risk contracting diseases like typhoid and cholera and often miss weeks of school due to preventable diarrhea.

As an educator, Esnel takes a holistic approach, ensuring that his students understand the importance of sustainability. He uses his own experience as “a tool to transform the population’s mind” in the way they think about water and sanitation.

Through financing by the WCF and KCH, the S-WASH program (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in School) is partnering with local trade school CFPJA to train ten youth in Sanitary Plumbing and Water Management. The classroom portion of the program ends in April 2024 when Esnel leads his students to take on the building and renovation of the school bathrooms.

The Wold Health Organization estimates that seven out of ten people in Haiti have no access to a sanitation system. A UNICEF study reveals that the water scarcity and waterborne diseases are among the main causes of death of children under the age of five. Through the education and training of young Haitians like Esnel, KCH is working to combat some of the long term Haiti’s dramatic challenges in sanitation.

This project still needs help. While the education and renovation portions of S-WASH have been funded, financing is needed to provide tools, materials, and tuition fees for the students. Access to clean water is a basic human right. Help our students provide that right to Haitian school children.