A charity founded by a Branson area community member is working to provide clean water for the elderly and disabled people of Haiti.
Hope for a Village, a non profit charity organization based out of Hollister, began a potable water program for residents of Cotes-de-Fer, Haiti three years ago. There are currently 90 elderly people on the program.
The organization has delivered 14,040 jugs of water since the inception of the program, which amounts to 70,200 gallons of clean drinking water to individuals who otherwise wouldn’t have access to clean water or are not able to physically leave their homes to get access.
Hope for a Village Founder and President Missy Onoh said delivering the clean water to residents of the village has multiple benefits.
“Our team has made 312 trips to their (residents) homes,” Onoh said. “Doing this does not only provide water to those who desperately need this service, but allows us to check on them, visit with them, converse with them and talk about God’s blessings. It allows us to be there for them in the event of an emergency.”
Hope for a Village’s goal for 2024 is to add multivitamins, and to expand into another village through the program. Onoh said Cotes-de-Fer is experiencing a cholera epidemic, and the water service is essential.
“This week, our nurses Miss Gertrude and Miss Veronica are making extra visits to the homes to talk about health, hygiene and cholera, how it can affect them, and how to help prevent it,” Onoh said.
Onoh, a Cotes-de-Fer, Haiti native who lives in the Branson area, has been a nurse for 16 years and currently works as a pediatric nurse, supporting those with special medical needs. She said her faith plays a large role in her involvement in helping the people of Haiti.
“God gave me this passion and this vision early in life,” Onoh said. “Serving others within this capacity gives me breath.”
For more information about Hope for a Village and how to help the charity, visit www.hopeforavillage.org or visit their Facebook page, Hope for a Village, Haiti.