July is upon us and there is a lot happening. GlobalGiving's July Bonus Day is designed to celebrate high-dollar donors and help GlobalGiving partners move smaller-dollar donors up to new giving heights. Accordingly, only donations of $100 USD and up will count on Bonus Day and, the higher the donation, the higher the match! This takes place on July 12th.
How does the July Bonus Day campaign work?
30% match on donations from $100-$400
40% match on donations from $500-$749
50% match on donations from $750-$1,000
Your gift will go to helping us serve those in need in Haiti.
Thank you all who contributed to our last request, but even with your generous support, the needs continue to grow. In the past week, the cholera outbreak in Haiti reached up the mountain to Boucantiste, where our farm workers and their families live. We thought that we had weathered the storm, at least for a little while. Fanfan has been busy working with our team there to educate our families on protocols to stay safe from the disease.
The easiest way to prevent cholera is to only use clean water. That seems like simple thing from our vantage point, especially in the PNW where we have some of the best water in the world. But as we found to our disappointment a few years ago, digging a well on the farm is not possible because the roads are too narrow and the corners too sharp for a drilling rig. Which means thousands of people living past the first bend in the road must seek out water each day for cooking and drinking. When it is 90 degrees and 90% humidity it is quite a task to gather and carry water back home. Often it is children who are sent down the steep terrain to the river and back up again. I have done the trip each time I have visited our farm. Once is enough for me. How these kids make this trip 5 or 6 times a day is beyond me. They know that they shouldn't wait until the water is boiled before drinking, but just a sip of contaminated water is all it takes for cholera to take hold.
We are lucky to have a small clinic near Boucantiste, but getting to it and receiving the vaccine can be very strenuous. And boiling water is time consuming. This is one of the main reasons BonZeb is trying to have an impact in the area. By supplying lower cost and cleaner burning charcoal, they might be able to afford other products, like water filters, water storage units, etc. This is a health issue as much as an environmental issue.