The opening ceremony for a new water supply system built by the Haitian government with the joint assistance of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) and the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) was held April 11 in New Hope Village, Savane Diane, Haiti. The completion of the system provides a domestic water supply for more than 90 percent of local residents.

The opening ceremony, held on grounds in front of the village’s elementary school, was attended for Haiti by a number of high-ranking dignitaries, including Minister of Agriculture Thomas Jacques, and Joseph Vernet, Secretary of State for Agricultural Recovery. Invited to represent Taiwan, the ceremony was attended by Taiwan’s ambassador to Haiti, H.E. Peter Hwang, as well as TaiwanICDF Secretary General Tao Wen-lung and Chenzhan Yi-ren, director of the Relief Office at the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Following the major earthquake which struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, in January 2010, Taiwan helped Haitian authorities to relocate survivors who wanted to move to Savane Diane as part of the establishment of a new village. To assist these 215 families to address problems affecting their livelihoods, the TaiwanICDF previously provided a number of measures involving training in agricultural production and bamboo handicrafts, promoting local crop production over 288 hectares and helping 272 people to complete vocational courses in bamboo crafts. To address difficulties that were arising due to a lack of water in the area, in 2013 the organization also began to work with the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on the construction of a local water supply system. Now completed, the system can supply residents with all of the water they need for day-to-day use, while pipelines installed over 50 hectares and can also be used to irrigate farmland.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, TaiwanICDF Secretary General Tao Wen-lung said that he was very pleased to see the water supply system completed, as it would provide enough water for the daily needs of the more than 200 households in New Hope Village, and for the community’s school and health center, as well as provide enough irrigation water to support agricultural reclamation work on 50 hectares of nearby land. He said that by saving time which would otherwise be spent collecting river water each day, and by enhancing public health and agricultural production, the system represented a real godsend for local residents.

As part of the process of post-disaster reconstruction, Taiwan has been highly respectful of Haiti’s requirements and its independence. The Haitian government has proactively coordinated the actions of the relevant units in carrying out and promoting assistance projects, as well as sought out other resources that could be invested in the country’s development. The Ministry of Agriculture, for example, has taken the initiative of coordinating with the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications in constructing access roads to resolve problems involving the transportation of large consignments of materials, multiplying the benefits of projects under implementation.

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• Update: 2018/03/01
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