On a small island off Haiti’s southern coast, the Bois Bouton safe water project continues to change daily life, proving that sustainability is more than a goal. It’s a commitment.
In the Caribbean waters south of Les Cayes sits Île-à-Vache, a place known for its quiet, pristine beauty, fishing villages, and close-knit communities. However, despite being an island surrounded by some of the most vivid and clear ocean water, its residents have faced a struggle for many generations: access to safe drinking water.
For years, families in Bois Bouton, a small community on the island, had few options. Those who needed purified water often depended on supplies brought by boat from Les Cayes, a journey of roughly 50 minutes across the water. For many households, clean drinking water was difficult, expensive, or simply out of reach. Access to safe water has long been a challenge across Île-à-Vache, where many residents have historically relied on wells and other untreated sources, almost an hour journey across water to gather.
However, this reality began to change in 2020.
A Partnership Rooted in Lasting Impact
In 2020, Healing Waters International partnered with Compassion International and the local church, MEBSH, with a shared vision: provide reliable access to safe water while creating a solution that could be sustained by the community long after installation.
As the implementing partner, Healing Waters designed and installed a water purification system built specifically for the realities of Bois Bouton: isolated homes dotting a raw landscape making piped water systems unfeasible and financially burdensome for local families. With this, community leaders recognized that a centralized water distribution model would be the most practical and cost-effective way to serve families.
Using a local water source, solar power, and water treatment technology designed for long-term sustainability, Healing Waters brought purified drinking water closer to home for approximately 200 families.
The goal was simple: create lasting access to safe water in a community where that access had never been guaranteed.
Meeting a Critical Need
The need was undeniable.
At the time of project development, local leaders identified safe water as a priority not only for Bois Bouton but for the entire island of Île-à-Vache. Through a faith-centered health and hygiene program grounded in biblical principles, families learned the importance of handwashing, safe water practices, and stewardship of the bodies and lives God has entrusted to them.
These concerns reflected a much broader challenge. Across Haiti, access to safe water and sanitation remains a significant issue. UNICEF reports that 41% of rural Haitians lack access to improved water sources, while only about 25% of households have adequate handwashing facilities with soap. [unicef.org]
For parents in Bois Bouton, those statistics are more than numbers. They represent daily decisions about where water comes from, whether it is safe to drink, and how to protect the health of their children.
Safe water means fewer worries about waterborne illnesses, less time spent on retrieving and self-purifying it, improved hygiene practices, and the opportunity for children to thrive.
The True Test of Sustainability
Many water projects succeed on installation day.
Fewer succeed years later—in fact, 30% of rural water systems break down within their first 1-5 years. (FSN Network, 2020)
Six years after installation, the Bois Bouton project is still going strong, serving as a powerful example of Healing Waters International’s commitment to sustainable solutions. By combining appropriate technology, solar energy, local ownership, and strong partnerships, the project was designed to continue serving the community for the long term.
In places like Bois Bouton, sustainability is not a buzzword.
It is the difference between temporary relief and lasting transformation.
Looking Ahead
Today, Bois Bouton remains a reminder that sustainable water solutions are possible, even in remote locations with limited infrastructure.
An island community once dependent on water transported from Les Cayes now has access to a locally managed source of purified water. The system stands as evidence that when faith, local leadership, and sustainable technology come together, the impact can last far beyond the day a project is commissioned.
6 years later, clean water is still flowing.
And with every container filled, every family served, and every child given a healthier future, the story of Bois Bouton continues to reflect the mission that drives Healing Waters International: sharing God’s love by helping communities thrive through access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions that last.
Every drop tells a story. In Bois Bouton, that story is still being written.
