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STORY: HAITI / WATER BUCKETS
TRT: 2:34
SOURCE: UNICEF TELEVISION
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / CREOLE/ NATS
DATELINE: 19 FEBRUARY 2010, LEOGANE, Haiti
1. Med shot, three men loading plastic buckets onto truck
2. Close-up, green bucket
3. Med shot, man unloading plastic taps from cardboard box
4. Close-up, "Aquatabs" water-purification tablets
5. Close-up, young girl in pink looking into camera; battered house in the background
6. Med shot, two men carry string of buckets on their shoulders
7. Med shot, man talks with three other men next to truck full of buckets
8. Med shot, truck full of buckets travels down dusty road
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Ritter, president of Deep Springs International:
"So here in the Leogane commune, there are about 160,000 people, and we're working with a group of 165 health agents to distribute safe-storage containers and chlorine. And to date, they have distributed about 4,000 containers and we have plans to scale that up considerably to do another 11,000 in the coming two months here."
10. Wide shot, truck full of buckets traveling across river bed, with mountains in the distance
11. Med shot, villagers stand by truck as workers unload buckets
12. Close-up, father holds his young daughter
13. Med shot, women wash clothes in river bed
14. Close-up, small child holds wooden chair and looks into camera
15. Wide shot, man leads mule across river
16. Wide shot, man pushes cart down street in front of destroyed house
17. Wide shot, girl in pink walks through earthquake rubble
18. Close-up, woman with baby in arm holds "Aquatabs" packet
19. Med shot, woman in yellow picks up living area of tent where she's living
20. SOUNDBITE (Creole), Magdaline Paul, earthquake survivor:
"I'm happy because I've received a water bucket. I've also received training about how to make the water pure using the tablets, so that nobody in my family gets sick from the water, and they won't get fever anymore. That's was a problem. So I'm happy that everyone is going to be healthier."
21. Med shot, health agent talks with family about water bucket purification system (green bucket visible)
22. Med shot, health agent stands next to green water bucket, talking
23. Med shot, back of health agent as she talks about how to use water-purification system
24. Close-up, hands holding up water test kit
25. Med shot, girl puts bucket on ground and fills with water
26. Close-up, girl in yellow t-shirt looking into camera
27. Med shot, woman walks to green bucket and pours cup of water
A truck-load full of 820 plastic water buckets begins a long journey into the mountains surrounding Leogane, Haiti, close to the epicenter of the earthquake. The buckets will be filled with tap water and delivered with a supply of water purification tablets to residents living far from safe water sources.
The project was spearheaded by Deep Springs International, with help from Save The Children. Michael Ritter is the president of Deep Springs International. He says the goal is to deliver 15,000 of the buckets, what he calls containers, to families.
SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Ritter, president of Deep Springs International:
"So here in the Leogane commune, there are about 160,000 people, and we're working with a group of 165 health agents to distribute safe-storage containers and chlorine. And to date, they have distributed about 4,000 containers and we have plans to scale that up considerably to do another 11,000 in the coming two months here."
The system is an inexpensive way to provide safe drinking water to a vulnerable community, particularly children under five. Many of the households rely on the river for drinking water, which leaves them highly susceptible to diarrhea and other water-borne ailments.
To reach even the most-remote households, Deep Springs is using a team of pack mules to carry the buckets and purification tablets high up the mountain.
Back in the city of Leogane, a group of especially vulnerable women and children have been given the buckets and purification tablets. Magdaline Paul is a 30-year-old mother. Her family home was destroyed by the earthquake, and she's now living inside a tent with 22 other family members.
SOUNDBITE (Creole), Magdaline Paul, earthquake survivor:
"I'm happy because I've received a water bucket. I've also received training about how to make the water pure using the tablets, so that nobody in my family gets sick from the water, and they won't get fever anymore. That's was a problem. So I'm happy that everyone is going to be healthier."
UNICEF's contribution to this effort is to gauge the effectiveness of the household water treatment. It's coming in to test the households given the buckets and purification tablets, not only in Haiti, but in three other emergencies around the world. Are the families using it correctly? Is the water safe for children? The idea is to identify the best approach, replicate it in future emergencies, and hopefully save thousands of lives in the process.
This is Thomas Nybo reporting for UNICEF Television in Leogane, Haiti. Unite for children.
