The Budget is Finished and Materials are Collected

A collective effort both in Haiti and in the States, about 9 months of on-the-ground planning, and a total budget of about US $22,200, are what it's going to take to make this project a reality. With most services offered for free, and a great deal of community participation, Gran Sous will soon be drinking clean, safe water for a relatively low cost.

The following are a few projections for the costs associated with the project (taken directly out of the proposed budget):

Airfare, domestic travel expenses, food, and accomodations for our engineer, Mr. Ordonez, and his colleague (after donating their time and services for free) = $1,940.

Food to feed 15-30 volunteers and construction bosses per day for about 4 weeks of construction = $1,141 (All preparation and cooking to be done by volunteers also offering their services for free)

Costs to employ 16 local bosses, and their assistants, to help community volunteers with the various construction projects (more than five weeks of work) = $2,664

The largest portion of the budget is dedicated to purchasing the materials needed to capture the water source, purchase the chlorination device, and build the cistern, a small house for the chlorination device, areas to bathe and wash, and a public latrine. The estimated costs for materials = $14,185. (Some of the materials, like the large amount of rocks that will be needed, have been donated and are currently being gathered by community members every Monday and Wednesday.)


Students from three Gran Sous schools help collect rocks that will be used during construction. The rocks, though usually sold, were donated to the project by a resident of Gran Sous who owns the land where they were collected.

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