DLOHAITI COMMUNITY REPORT: BWA 9Louino Robillard, MACommunity OutreachApril 3, 2015

COMMUNITY UPDATE:

Many months ago, DloHaiti began thinking about expanding operations in Cite Soleil. The idea came, then there were field visits, then there were community meetings, then construction, then recruitment and hiring and training of employees, then awareness-raising and advertising... and what it has all leading up to was the opening of the DloHaiti kiosk.

During a community visit I had in the end of March, everyone was asking questions about when the kiosk was going to start to sell water. The question itself, "when are they going to sell?" is important, because in other circumstances, people would be asking, "when are we going to get water?" This is a reflection of the passivity and dependence that comes with NGO or government projects. But when I heard people when the kiosk would begin to sell water, I thought that the message of social enterprise was truly getting across.

But before we could open the kiosk, there were a few last hurdles to be crossed. First, DINEPA had to come and certify the quality of the water, which they did. Second, DloHaiti had to consider few people in the community had appropriate recipients to keep their water clean. So to encourage local support, DloHaiti distributed 150 tickets to households in the area around the kiosk, and each were able to redeem the tickets for a free, hygienic recipient with their first purchase of Ovive water. DloHaiti also worked with local merchants to develop a strategy for transporting the water in a way that would allow local business to sell the water at the same price as the kiosk, while still making a profit.

After these various challenges - and others - were overcome, DloHaiti opened its first kiosk selling Ovive water in Cite Soleil on April 1st, 2015. The reaction was strong and positive, as is shown through community testimonials in the next section. However, the response was so much stronger than we could even anticipate: DloHaiti had planned to close its kiosks for Good Friday on April 3rd. But the community members had already developed such a love for the product that they went to the local agents' houses and informed them that they had to open the kiosk so that people could buy water. This is an incredible indicator of how much people value this product and service, and how they see it differently than traditional water interventions.

TESTIMONIALS OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY

To better understand the initial impressions that community members had of Ovive, I spent several hours going around the area close to the kiosk and talking to local residents. Here are a few of the stories, thoughts, and hopes that I heard along the way:

TESTIMONIAL 1:

I went into a house that was just about 200 meters from the kiosk, and in this house I found 2 adults with 5 children. The adults were Guertha Thomas and Favoles Island. They invited me and Polifranc (the marketing agent of DloHaiti) to sit with them. Guertha is pregnant, she is 41 years old, and has 5 children. I asked her what she knew about treated water. She said, "I always heard on the radio and when I went to the hospital that I needed to drink treated water. But I don't have money, so even if I were to make blood come from a rock [an expression about making the impossible possible] to buy it, it is too far. Now it is close by, and I am going to do all that I can do to buy it, because I have a child who is still a baby, and I don't want him to drink any kind of water so that he will not be sick. The problem is that the children drink a lot of water, and the little gallon is too small for them, and I don't yet have money to buy the big 5 gallon jug. This little one is good but it is only 4 gallons. But I will hang in there, because I must find a way to buy the big gallon".

TESTIMONIAL 2:Island Favole is Guertha's neighbor, and she asked for me to look at where she put her gallon. "I am 23 years old, and I had a child who died. I don't yet have the means to have another child, because I'm still young. My water jug can last a week because it is just me and my husband who are in this house. We are not many." I asked her if the water was good. "Yes, the water is a good water, and people see that it is different than the other water we're drinking. And we can see where it is being treated, everyone can see it. Now I won't trust water if I can't see where it is coming from."

TESTIMONIAL 3:People were very generous in receiving me in their homes. Polifranc already knew all of these people, and this made me reflect about the model of a family business, in the sense that we are creating a family with these people, to have them trust us. I found Leonise Francois, who is 20 years old. She has 2 children; she doesn't live with their father but instead lives in a house with her two little brothers. "Did I drink treated water before? I don't know, because I never asked if the little water sachets were treated. I started to ask this question after Mr. Polifranc came through the area and talked to us about water. I went to the water kiosk and I saw how people were taking their time treating the water. I always buy it because I have children." I asked her, it is because you have children that you need to buy it? She said, "I won't lie to you, because I don't have a lot of money, the older ones [my brothers] drink other water because they can handle it, but I have to protect the younger children. I also drink the water, but it's because I am nursing and I don't want bad water to be in my milk. But I don't let my little brothers drink it because it finishes quickly."

TESTIMONIAL 4:I went about 500 meters from the kiosk. I met with Alexi Brillier, who is 47 years old and has been living in Bwa Nef for 27 years. For the past 20 years, he has been sitting in front of his little liquor business. He said, "I believe it is a good thing for there to be a water kiosk in the area, because I never drink water that isn't treated. If I drink untreated water, it makes my stomach hurt. I send away to buy water all the way in Drouillard, even though I know there is water underneath my feet here. I just know it is better for me. I always talk with the people in the area about the importance of treating their water, but the biggest problem is buying the gallon, because it sells for 150 or 200 gourdes. But I think that if people had the gallon, it would encourage them to go and buy it." He was happy to share his thought, but did not give me permission to share his photo.

TESTIMONIAL 5 : DloHaiti doesn't just sell treated water, but it allows for small businesses around the kiosk to sell it at the same price as the kiosk. Because the idea is to reinforce local business, this helps people generate more revenue. Many times, some people can make a little profit, but all of the profits just go into paying for transport. But DloHaiti thought of this, and developed a plan.I decided to go and talk with the people who have small boutiques in the area to see how they understand the kiosk and Polifranc was present. So I went to the boutique of Madam

Monfils, because everyone in Bwa nef knows madam Monfils. Here is some of the dialogue between Madam Monfils and Polifranc. Madam Monfils: "I wanted to sell water but I had to sell it the same as the kiosk, because if I sold it more expensive than it would stay in the shelf"

Polifranc: "We came to Bwa Nef to help with the economic conditions of the area. We didn't come here just to make a profit. But we came to inspire people, to encourage local business. So we are selling you the water so that you can sell it at the same price as us. And we won't let you pay for the transport, we will bring it to you."

Madam Monfils:"If it's like this, then I will try because people won't need to go all the way down to the kiosk. I suspect I will be able to sell it because I see that people in the community are speaking well of the Ovive water. I will start with 10 gallons because I don't have money, and I will see how this goes and I can come and get more"

Polifranc: "where do you go to buy your sodas?"

Madam Monfils: "I send away for them in Kazo"

Polifranc: "Isn't Kazo 9 kilometers from here?"

Madam Monfils: "Yes, it's exhausting, because we spend almost all of our profit on transport."

Polifranc: "DloHaiti is trying to make things easier for its clients, so that little businesses like yours can sell the Ovive water for the same price as the company"

Madam Monfils: "You're not kidding? This is serious stuff you're talking about. Then thank you very much, my son. I will sell the Ovive water, and it will be a relief"

PROFILES/TESTIMONIALS OF KIOSK EMPLOYEES

(translated from Creole into English)

Leger Wenso: ManagerI am 29 years old and was born on the island of La Gonave, but I live in Bwa Nef. I am an Information Technology technician, and I used to be a biology teacher. I used to work in the Port au Prince Mayor's office. When I heard about the recruitment for the DloHaiti position, I didn't believe it was real because I thought they were just putting on a show. Because I know in Cite Soleil, [hiring] is never done like this,

because there is always a question of 'godmother' and 'godfather' [patronage]. But I decided to take a chance, and I saw it was different. I learned a lot in the recruitment process. I found a lot of other young people who had competencies and dedication to learn and work. I value the knowledge that I had gained while I was in a training in Ecole de l'Eau in Lilavoie. Even if they hadn't accepted me, I would be satisfied. It made me sad that they couldn't employ all of the 5 people because there were 10 of us who were competing for 5 posts, and this is among the 140 people who brought their CVs and filled out the application. The biggest reproach I have for DloHaiti was that the training was very long but when you look at it, that's not really a reproach because the training was very complete, it was a training for life.

Rene Ronald: Assistant ManagerI am 25 years old and I live in Bwa Nef. I really like the spirit of how I saw [DloHaiti] come to make this happen in Bwa Nef, especially with the bad reputation that Cite Soleil has. I thought that this could happen, but I thought it would take another 10 years. And what is even better is that I have a chance to apply, pass the test, and go to the training. I learned things that I never thought I would have the money for me to go and learn. I didn't take this lightly, because I had never before had a formal job in my life, except for a factory job. I gave everything and I was proud because I was among the 5 people who are working in the kiosk. I am hoping that there are more opportunities like this, for young people to find things to do, because they aren't doing anything. They just sit around and have the time to get into arguments. I used to sit around in the area because I had nothing to do, and all of this time, I could have had many projects that I could have been doing.. Now I have a little job, I can realize all of my projects. I can help my family. I can make music, because music is my passion.

Falone Joachin: Assistant ManagerI am 22 years old, and I live in Projet Drouillard, just across the street from Bwa Nef. I am happy because I am one of the people who was selected to work in the water treatment kiosk here. I have always been working with water, with treated water, because I would sell DINEPA water. But after I came out of the training, I know I can't look at water to see if it is treated or not, if it is clean or not. I can say that since I have met DloHaiti, my life has become more challenging because now I know what treated water means and what it is, what effect it can have on people's lives. And I am happy to be a part of this team, because I know that there are a lot of people in Cite Soleil, especially Bwa Nef, who have never drink treated water and this is the cause of a lot of problems. Children are always sick. Even if I wasn't selected as one of the people, I would feel good because I have learned many things during this period of training in Ecole de l'Eau.

Esther Jackenson: Assistant ManagerI am 26 years old, and I come from Boston [Cite Soleil]. I studied refrigeration and air conditioning. I was in my first year studying civil engineering in UniQUA, but I lost my chance because I didn't have enough money to continue. I was very surprised to hear that there was a place in Cite Soleil for me to drop off my CV, because I know that in Cite Soleil, everything is done through 'my people' [connections and patronage]. My mother is in Pastor Hilaire's church, and she convinced me to drop off my CV. Even when I brought it, I still thought that this was not going to be honest. But when I got there, I saw that this was difference. And I put all of my skills on the table, and I became one of the people who was selected. Finding a job was such a high priority for me. I learned so many things. And I became one of the 5 people who were selected. This opportunity has made other people at home see my different, because there is a stigma about young people, that they sit around all day and don't do anything. When people don't see me during the day, they give me more respect when they do see me. They see me in a whole other way, especially when I am in the white t-shirt marked DloHaiti and Ovive. I feel like I've finally found respect in my neighborhood. And I have already raised a lot of awareness in my neighborhood about water because I am a young person who has the spirit of a mediator. I have learned so much, even people at home are giving me trouble because I won't drink just any water anymore. As we know, water is a luxury in water, so they think I am putting on airs. But I am happy because I now know what treated water is, because water is life.

Jean Nickenson Antoine, OperatorI am 38 years old, and I am living in Bwa Nef since 1994. I have lived almost all of the bad moments in Bwa Nef. I have a diploma as a Chemistry Technician, which I earned from my studies at CHEMTEK (Université de Chimie en Haiti). I am also a teacher. It was a neighbor of mine who told me that people are collecting CVs [for a job], and I didn't believe her because I haven't known any decisions in Cite Soleil to be made off of a CV. But because she told me this, I decided to follow her advice and bring my CV. When I arrived and saw how the process was working, I was surprised, because I had never seen something transparent like that in Cite Soleil. I filled out the application, and they called for the test and I came out with a 18.5/20. That made me one of the top 2. This is what made one of the 10 people that they took 5 from, and I came out one of the best. I like this work because I am a professional. I am always searching for where I can have the most value, the most profit, and where I can truly be useful. I just help that this all goes well so I can stay, because I like this work, because I am directly serving to support people's health.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

At the beginning of this project, my three greatest concerns were the following:

1) a lack of community buy-in because of previous bad experiences with health/sanitation interventions, which could leave the project vulnerable to violence

2) jealousy and competition over the hiring process3) a sense of expectation that the clean water would be

given away for free

As of the time that this report is being written, I am thrilled and honored to say that all three of these concerns never came to pass. The initial process of community engagement was effective in reaching diverse parts of this complex community. Having strong community allies (such as Pastor Hilaire) and a clear and consistent approach, we were able to begin the process of building trust from the beginning. This is what has protected the project, because the community became invested early on in its success.

As you can see from the testimonials of the five kiosk workers, the job selection process was something they had expected to be governed by the same rules of patronage, nepotism, and corruption as most opportunities in Cite Soleil. All of them were incredibly surprised at how open and transparent the hiring process was. And there was a sentiment that appeared in several of their testimonials - that they would have been happy even if they hadn't gotten the job just because it was a relief to see something in Cite Soleil be done so professionally - that wasn't just empty praise because they'd been hired. I had heard that from several people during the recruitment process itself, before people had found out who was being selected. It is hard for me to overstate how critically important and how challenging this is to achieve in Cite Soleil - and DloHaiti accomplished it.

Third, as is evident in the community testimonials and the pre-opening day visit I made to the community, local residents do in fact see this as a product they want to purchase. There is not an expectation of a free give-away like there was around Aquatabs a few years ago - there is a genuine sense that this is something of value that they want to invest money into. The most frequent complaint I heard is just that households did not have enough money to purchase as much water as they would like, but no one seemed to imply that the water should be free or cheaper. People were actually problem-solving as to how they could afford to buy as much as they needed, because they saw it as something with inherent value. This is, again, something that may not seem significant to many people, but I can attest to the fact that this is a big challenge in Cite Soleil, and another barrier that DloHaiti has successfully overcome.

As we finish with the initial phase of the Bwa Nef Ovive kiosk, here are a few recommendations as DloHaiti comes to a close with the launching phase of this site:

First, the hours given for the kiosk workers (5:00 am to about 9:00 pm) are a bit problematic, especially for the employees from Pwojet Drouillard and Boston. Because they have to cross over the line that define the current gang conflict (Route 9), moving when it's dark outside increases the risk they are taking. If the kiosk needs to be open for these hours, it would make sense to arrange the working hours so that early and late shifts are taken by people who are from Bwa Nef, and that those from outside Bwa Nef are able to come and go while it is light out.

Second, I think it is a good moment to plan ahead and invest in planting some big, quick-growing trees (like palm trees) in the courtyard, because it is very bare and exposed. Having a bit of shade for clients will make it more comfortable and attractive to visit, and may eventually even provide enough cover to facilitate meetings and educational sessions on site. As it is, the exposed environment is a bit unwelcoming.

Third, DloHaiti should continue with its community marketing and education efforts. Polifranc has done an incredible job at building relationships, adapting messages, and getting the word out - that was clear from my home visits in the community. This is an effective way not only to build the brand, but to build the trust that is ultimately what will allow this kiosk to survive and thrive.