Power & Gas, Water & Laundry

We thought some of you might be interested in a short post on everyday resources/conveniences that we take for granted in the U.S. - water, power, gas and laundry. We should start off by saying that the situation we're describing here is a good one for us at the guest house and at the kids' houses. Many, many people in Haiti lack access to electricity or clean water.

Power & Gas
The city only provides power at night, so during the day we keep all of the lights off in the houses and try to keep laptops and phones on battery power if possible. Basically the only items using power are the fridge and the fans (there's no A/C). This power comes from a set of batteries that are lined up on the side of the house...check it out below.

 

All of the gas used here for the stove comes from a tank in the back of the house which has to be re-filled when it runs out. This morning Pastor Dave got up to boil water for tea and the gas was out - no gas, no flame...no tea. 


Water
Water is a scarce and precious resource in Haiti. At the guest house we drink bottled water - which is the only source of clean drinking water here. Many kids in the street will ask us for our water bottles because they do not have access to water to drink - a sobering experience when you think about how we take being able to drink water out of the tap for granted.

The water used for showering, washing, etc. at the guest house comes from a large cistern on the property. This cistern is filled either through rainwater runoff or with a delivery truck when the rainwater isn't sufficient. As a result, it is crucial to be judicious with the water we use - military showers, no running the sink water while washing dishes, etc. It's all about putting each and every drop to good use.

 Water delivery at the girls house.

Bottled water for drinking.

Laundry
While it is possible to get a washer and dryer in Haiti, most people, including the staff at Maison de Lumiere, hand wash all of their clothes (imagine washing clothes for 50 kids by hand). Erick, Jim and Chuck hung up a clothesline at the guest house yesterday to make the laundry process a little easier. Emily, who is an expert at hand washing clothes from her Peace Corps days, washed clothes with the ladies yesterday.

Folded laundry in the tub it was washed in.

This really puts in perspective the luxury of being able to flip a switch, turn on a faucet, do a quick load of wash or fire up the stove.