Special Information Regarding Haiti Relief and Redevelopment

Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti and to all those who have suffered loss or injury in earthquakes of January 12, 2010. 

New Life International is helping in the aftermath of the disaster in Haiti. By God’s grace we have responded quickly to this disaster by helping partners and associates acquire disaster relief versions of our water purification systems in a timely manner. During the first week of the disaster relief phase, 53 water purification systems were sent out, and many more will follow. 

One of our partners Mark Hogg of EDGE Outreach gave us an encouraging field report that captures the very essence of how powerful of a tool our water purification systems can be. Here is a quote we received this past Saturday, January 23, 2010:

“An Army of Angels showed up yesterday, assessed the situation and today completed a 1000 gallon continuous sterile water supply for the ER….amazing.  In 20 years of development I’ve never witnessed something like this. 

God Bless You.” Jeffrey R. Douglas, CURE International Volunteer

 The ‘first responder” phase of this relief effort where efforts focused upon immediate help to the injured and search/rescue of those who were trapped alive in the rubble is now shifting to the next phase, the “redevelopment” phase of reconstruction which will span many years to come.  We envision New Life International having an ongoing role with our faithful partners in this area of reconstruction as well as the interim internally displaced people camps.

One miracle before the earthquakes in Haiti was that New Life International had a significant number of water purification parts configured into over 50 disaster relief/community development kits ready to be shipped at a moment’s notice.  Through the generous giving of our donors “paying it forward” this capability was made possible for just such a time as this.

Hurricane Mitch in Honduras in 1998 saw the first overseas use of our water purification technology. New Life International was a fledgling organization and the disaster blindsided us, but yet we were able to respond. Our approach was to take the most critical components to Honduras and to purchase local materials and produce lots of low cost water purification systems on-site. We learned this is not the best way to build purifiers! There are usually no Home Depots in these situations!

This reality gave rise to the “disaster relief/community development” kits whose intent was to give people the flexibility to configure a wide range of options in setting up a custom water purification system shipped in a 25 gallon Rubbermaid tote while minimizing the need to acquire things locally other than tanks and batteries which generally are a challenge to ship.   As we were putting together this standardized kit, we did not fully realize we were designing and stocking a tool to assist in a situation as devastating as the Haiti earthquakes. 

Included in the disaster relief/community development kits in addition to the purifier are two manual pumps which come in handy when there is no electricity. One pump can be used to pick up water and send it through two renewable filters that are included in the kit. The other pump can be used to circulate the water through the water purification system. A 30 Watt solar panel is included to run the purifier and charge batteries. Pre-assembled fittings, valves, tubing, and bulkhead fittings to configure barrels or tanks into a one, two or three tank system complete the kits. This can be powered by a battery with supplemental charging from the solar panel; or the system can run directly from a car battery that remains in the vehicle.  This gives aid workers remarkable flexibility and the ability to improvise without compromising water quality.

We expect these kits will have an ongoing role in the redevelopment phase in Haiti for years to come.

If you or your favorite relief organization anticipates needing water purification systems in Haiti, please talk with us as soon as possible so we can plan ahead to make sure enough water purification systems are assembled and ready to ship in a timely fashion to meet everyone’s needs.  (Check in with our staff to schedule training. These systems are not complicated, and they do not require a lot of training, but they are not a spin-on water filter that you do once and forget about it.)

 Thank you for your ongoing support in sponsoring water purification systems and thank you for donating behind the scenes to the ministry of New Life International.  These ongoing donations have helped us to “pay it forward” not just for the disaster in Haiti, but for the ongoing needs around the world.

We still need financial support on many levels as we work to help bring safe water resources to those in need. We are incurring expenses in the Haiti relief/redevelopment process that are unexpected and we appreciate your financial support to meet this immediate need; in the event there are any extra funds beyond this need, we will apply the resources to “pay it forward” into our general disaster relief fund.

Thank you in advance for making this ministry part of your ministry!

Blessings!

Duvon McGuire