LiveSmarterV3

Saving Lives and Helping A Community With Water!

This photo is of Stuart Dykstra and a team of engineers working with V3 to bring water to the people of Haiti.
∞
(Condensed from a report written by Stuart Dykstra of V3 Companies, Ltd. - www.v3co.com)

Within this water deprived country of Haiti, the rural Northwest region is known as one of the driest. In fact, the
parched nature of the area is often the cause of derision from other Haitians and this becomes a part of the
identity of its people. In Haiti, one is “from the wrong side of the tracks” if they come from the Northwest and
that is because of water. A clean source is often kilometers away and it involves walking or riding a donkey over
the hills and mountains carrying the daily supply to their homes. Obtaining fresh water consumes a major portion
of the day for the men, women and, most of all, the children of the region.

Many professionals and those in the industry that V3 contacted, dismissed as impossible the idea of developing a
groundwater supply in this region. A drilling company out of Port au Prince refused to mobilize to the area
because “it was a waste of his time and our client’s money”. Another organization, that has for years drilled wells
east of the area, gave little hope and said most wells were dry or resulted in very little yield. V3's inquiries were
often met with skepticism or even cynicism.

In the spring of 2007, V3 and the driller, Haiti Outreach, installed a relatively small diameter test well in the upper
portion of fractured limestone aquifer. It yielded water. The groundwater investigation was an eight month
intensive investigational process that will continue in the coming years. The importance of the project and the
region’s critical need left no other option than to be successful.

In the developed world this test well would be a challenging project. In Haiti, the difficulty was multiplied.
Equally important to the investigational challenges were the logistics of the field and the drilling.
It took three days to get the rig to the site, and three days to drill. Every day attracted a crowd of 50 to 100
Haitians who wanted to be a part of the water miracle. Local entrepreneurial women of the area set up a food
vending area and made and sold coffee, fried bananas, bread, and a spicy peanut-brittle.

The test well became much more than just a “test well” as this project proceeded. Even though this well was
intended to be exploratory, it required significant investment and risk to complete. The well soon represented the
hope of the entire community that they might be able to live a healthier and more prosperous lifestyle. When the
second slug of water came from the well, it became clear that V3 and the team of engineers and locals had done it.

The work is just beginning. The aquifer must be carefully studied. More wells need to be built. A community
water utility needs to be organized and locals need to take leadership in managing and maintaining the system.
Large hurdles are ahead for this development, but the promise of changing Haiti is there and it could not have
happened without the cooperation of a dedicated group of local Haitians and business people.

Water plays an essential part in this development and in the lives of people in the region, and now they will begin
to see a future where farming and industry can be a part of this water-starved community.

Helping Those Who Cannot Help Themselves!

Stuart Dykstra and his
team at V3 Companies,
Ltd. are changing the
face of Haiti by finding
water in mountainous
regions where others
thought there was no
hope. The team's
dedication and
on-going efforts have
changed the lives of
thousands of Haitians.
- - - -
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Comment -
An amazing testimony to the human spirit that V3 did not give up. Congratulations Haiti! - signed - John T.

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Let's see if we can help others make a difference in their communities too!

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