U.S. Missionary Tim Dortch, established the Hispaniola Mountain Ministries (HMM), in the Dominican Republic in 2005 after making multiple mission trips to Haiti beginning in 1998.  When Haiti became politically inaccessible, Tim turned his mission trips to the Dominican Republic with the intention of eventually branching back into Haiti.  One area of ministry under HMM, is the construction of water wells to provide clean water to rural communities.
Access to clean water supplies in the Dominican Republic increased in the 1990’s in urban regions but there was great disparity when it came to the rural communities, with less than 56% of the poor with access to clean water (World Health Organization, “WHO”).  HMM provided clean water wells to a variety of communities in the Dominican Republic over the next five years.

Haiti, on the other hand, is considered a water-stressed country.  The total available water resources per person are just under the amount determined as absolutely necessary by WHO.  Less than 1% of these resources are in use.  Groundwater potential exists in the mountainous areas and in some coastal areas, but accessing this has been a challenge for many communities.  Few water treatment facilities are properly functioning for the general public in the country.  Soil erosion and deforestation (Haitians burn the forests for the charcoal that they sell to communities for fuel) have also contributed to diminished water quality.  Moreover, Haiti’s seasonal rainfall patterns provide too much rain for some during segments of the year and too little for others during the dry season.
After the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, accessibility to the rural Haitian communities opened up for HMM to again provide services, funneling relief aid from their compound in the Dominican Republic.  Since access to clean water in the Dominican Republic had improved substantially, the HMM water well projects turned their focus primarily to the country of Haiti.
Since 2010 with the help of Barco’s Nightingales Foundation and others, HMM has brought five water wells online utilizing solar panels to power the wells.  Three wells in the Anse-a-Pitre community and one in Recif have improved access to clean water for these Haitian communities.  Before the well construction in Recif, a remote fishing village, the closest clean water source was 15 miles away.  Access to clean drinking water  from these wells greatly reduces diseases, infant mortality and sanitary issues within these communities.

The fifth water well was completed in the Dominican Republic village of Barahona, where villagers had to walk several miles to obtain clean drinking water before completion of the well.
Barco’s Nightingale Foundation is proud to be in partnership with HMM in the construction of solar water wells in Haiti and in doing so, to greatly improve the quality of life for these remote communities.