KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – A program to expand access to safe water in Haiti is set to deepen its impact after receiving a massive boost that will allow it to scale up and reach more rural and urban communities in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
The initiative, led by Rotarians in the northern Caribbean, received a major boost from the Rotary International Foundation, which selected the Haiti National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative (HANWASH) as the recipient of its annual Programs of Scale grant.
The announcement was made at the Rotary International District 7020 Conference here, and HANWASH, conceptualized and initially led by past Rotary International president Barry Rassin of the Bahamas, has been working in five of 147 communes in Haiti to provide safe, sustainable access to potable water across the country.
“This is an amazing moment for us,” Rassin reacted upon hearing of the selection of HANWASH, adding, “It has put District 7020 in a place where few districts around the world could even think to be.
“They said it was impossible…but just because someone tells you it’s impossible does not mean that for Rotary it’s impossible,” he said.
The application process for the grant began in August 2025 with the submission of a concept note by Marlene Gay, a Haitian member of the HANWASH board and past president of the Rotary Club of Petion-Ville.
Last October, the team was informed that the program was one of three shortlisted to receive the grant, out of more than 60 applicants, and they were invited to submit a proposal.
“They met with water committees, they met with mayors, they met with the water authority… They met with everyone, and they were very impressed, and so we awaited the big news,” Gay said.
Rotary International’s recognition of the program means more than an award for HANWASH, board member and past Rotary International director, Jeremy Hurst explained; it is expected to help mobilize aligned investments and co-financiers in Haiti and globally.
“That just goes to show, again, that we are getting validity through the Rotary Foundation, but we are also getting validity at a national level,” said Hurst.
He was supported by the consultant to HANWASH, Richard Kohl, who said: “The fact that HANWASH was selected as a Program of Scale, to some extent, reassures a lot of people that this is a serious thing, and that this is a quality thing and this is a reliable thing.”
The five communes in which HANWASH has been working are Cavaillon, Leogane, Ferrier, Pignon, and Terre Neuve. The program has achieved varying levels of success to date, Hurst acknowledged, which led to the decision to apply for the grant to deepen the provision of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in each area.
The Rotary Club said the increased focus will be on three communes: Cavaillon, where the program has been working most; Ferrier, where groundwater salinity has been a serious challenge; and Pignon.
Hurst said the aim is to establish sustainable, functioning systems over the five-year period that will deliver clean, safe water. In urban areas, the focus will be on piped water systems and wells; in rural parts of the country, on solar pumps.
HANWASH takes a systems approach to implementing its solutions, positioning itself as a “convenor” or “catalyst” that initiates the process and leaves behind a functioning system to be managed by local authorities.
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