A key problem plaguing water programs around the world is handpump maintenance. Haiti is no different, with many pumps sitting idle because they are broken.

After the 2010 Haitian earthquake, the Lifewater d'Haiti team decided to put a major focus on fixing and maintaining handpumps. Their thinking is: "We are not getting ahead if every time we drill a well, another one goes out of service". This just makes so much sense!

Since this time, the Lifewater team in Haiti has shown visionary leadership for their pump repair program. Every year, they repair about 700 pumps. Pumps are fixed at the request of communities and with their assistance. Many of these wells were drilled by groups that no longer operate in Haiti. The Lifewater d'Haiti team will help villagers fix their pump, even if it is not a "Lifewater" well.

To repair a pump costs anywhere from $10 to $400... well below the $4,000 cost to drill a new well! Depending on the number of people using a well and the quality of the water, a pump typically needs maintenance every 6-24 months. Once at the pump, the repair work can be done in less than 1 hour. Repairing pumps really is the best investment we can make to keep safe water flowing to those in need!

Much of the pump repair work was done using a small, used truck purchased in the Dominica Republic. The long miles on terrible, pothole-ridden roads have taken their toll, and the truck is now worn-out beyond repair. As a stop-gap measure, the team has been using three-wheeled motorcycle trikes to get to the broken pumps. But these vehicles are too slow to be safe on the main roads, and they are too unstable to be safe on the upcountry dirt access roads.

The new truck will be a perfect multi-purpose vehicle:

• The large Swill Army trucks intended for drilling have been used for pump repair, but they take a lot of fuel and using them for pump repair means they are not available to the drillers to make much-needed new wells!
• Similarly, the army trucks have been used to travel to and from the airport to pick-up Canadian volunteers who pay their own way to work alongside the Haitians. The pump repair truck is a cheaper, more comfortable alternative and will not require pulling the army truck off a drill site.

People in Alberta have undertaken to cover the $29,750 cost of purchasing a new truck for the pump repair team. Families and individuals from Calgary, Medicine Hat and Bow Island have been raising money for nearly a year. They have raised $24,714 - a significant amount, but $5,000 more is required to make this critical truck purchase happen in time for the busy Fall pump repair season.

Thanks for your consideration and support!

Truck Specifications:

• KIA K2700 Double Cab 4x4
• 4 Cylinders 2.7 litre Diesel Engine
• Vehicle Age - 2018
• 4 Wheel drive (4WD) with 2H; 4H; 2L
• 6 passenger seating capacity
• Triangle suspension front/rear with leaf spring and torsion bar.
• 5 Speed manual transmission with locking hubs/clutch.
• Power Steering "Rack and Pinion"Front vented disk brakes and rear drum brakes.
• Tire size 6.70R24LT
• Rear box length 2,185 mm (86 inches)
• Rear box width 1,630 mm (64.2 inches)
• Rear box height 355 mm (14 inches)
• The sides on the rear box can be idividually lowered, giving ideal access for loading and working at pump sites.
• The entire rear box can be raised, allowing it to be quickly unloaded when bringing sand or gravel to a job site.
• Front and rear seat belts.
• Fuel tank capacity 60 litres.

An overhead rack will be welded onto the truck by Canadian Welders, allowing 10 foot long sections of pump rising main and pump rods to be carried safely, securely and out of the way so that the bed of the truck can carry needed supplies and equipment in an organized manner.