(April 4, 2014 - by Ruth Pike)  “We’re not poor anymore,” said the Haitian man as he labored under the hot sun.

Missionary engineer César Cortez was confused. The clean water project in his remote community was still under way. How could this man, living in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, think he was no longer poor?

“Because now we have the power to build a [water] system ourselves,” responded the man, who became affectionately known as “Papito” (Daddy) by the Vozandes Community Development team from Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global).

As Cortez and Francisco Caiza, together with his sons, Luis and Edison (both water technicians), traveled from Ecuador during a four-year period to work alongside the community of La Bruyère in northern Haiti they realized that poverty was much more than a lack of physical resources. It was also about people having the power to make their own decisions and control their own lives.

When Cortez made his first visit to the Haitian community, just months after the country’s devastating earthquake in January 2010, 13 members of the community’s 300 families had recently died, some due to waterborne illnesses.

Although there are two evangelical churches in the community, Cortez described La Bruyère, southwest of Cap-Haitien, as having been a “center of voodoo,” even practiced in the local Catholic church.

Missionaries serving in Haiti warned Cortez about working in the area, and he initially received a hostile reception from the people. “When I arrived the first time they hassled me and shouted “Blanc!” (French for “white”) at me even though my skin color isn’t white.”

“What caught my attention was the violent way in which people treated one another,” he added.

However, as the team worked alongside the people, enabling them to renovate their water system and build latrines, Cortez noted how their attitude began to change.

“They didn’t relate to others in an offensive way anymore, but rather in a simple, loving way. That’s to say, when I first arrived I felt in danger in that community, but the last time I went I saw how the people treated each other, how they talked.... The change was enormous.”

Papito was one of the most enthusiastic members of the community, studiously learning how to work with concrete, listening intently during hygiene training and teaching his own children the things he had learned about hygiene and germs.

“These things made them a very special family for me,” said Cortez.

On their most recent visit, the team checked the 290 house connections that the people had completed since the team’s last visit to provide training. Team members were pleased to see that the plumbing that piped water to each home was working except for two connections that they were able to fix.

The final phase of the project involved building latrines for each household. During the visit, the team held training on how to build the toilets so residents could complete them on their own.

They also led Bible studies with church leaders and preached in one of the local churches. This was one of the biggest encouragements for Cortez during the project as the church was packed when he preached, and he saw people giving their lives to the Lord.

As the project drew to an end, he said, “It’s really a miracle to have been able to provide clean water, latrines and education to 300 families and to give them the opportunity to have a better quality of life.”

“God has been with us throughout this process,” Cortez added. “As I returned [to Ecuador] I was especially glad to see the community working in unity and so open to hearing the Word of God.”

Source: Reach Beyond