In September 2006, SOL was invited to construct a demonstration ecological sanitation site at the Zanmi Lasante Sociomedical Clinic. Zanmi Lasante is a hospital and sociomedical complex in Canje, a small town in Haiti’s Central Plateau. The hospital was started over 20 years ago as a partnership between Partners in Health (a US-based organization founded by Dr. Paul Farmer) and Zanmi Lasante (a Haitian non-profit).

People from all over Haiti come to the hospital to receive medical treatment because of the excellent service and because of the hospital’s philosophy that all people deserve the same level of care, regardless of their ability to pay. Zanmi Lasante now serves over 1 million patients per year through holistic programs which address not only acute health problems but also the basic needs which are critical for good health such as: nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, and economic livelihoods.

Zanmi Lasante is interested in spearheading a sanitation program in the Central Plateau in the coming year. After hearing about SOIL-SOL and the ecological sanitation projects in Milot, they requested that we send a team to Canje to work with their engineer to construct a demonstration site. The site was constructed near a garden and tree nursery within the medical complex.  SOL hopes to return to Canje this winter to lead an educational seminar for the health agents and accompanyers that work throughout the region on health related issues. We are also interested in partnering with other organizations and individuals who have other designs that could be incorporated into the demonstrations site.

Patient’s families helped with sanding and painting the toilet seats and engaged us in fascinating discussions about the lack of sanitation in Haiti.  There is no shortage of demand for sanitation services but what is lacking is investment. The United Nations estimates that for only $10 billion the number of people in the world without access to sanitation could be cut in half. This is only 1/8 of the Iraq war budget for one year.

We are eager to continue the partnership with Zanmi Lasante to help promote not only safe sanitation but also a shared philosophy of local community empowerment.