Water Project

The Cathedral of the Assumption founded a sister relationship with St, Louis Cathedral in Jeremie, Haiti in the year 2000.  Since then, the Sister Parish Committee has raised enough funds to replace the church’s 143 old, termite-ridden pews with new, locally made pews; provided funds for the schoolchildren and staff of Ecole St. Therese Montessori School to receive a nutritious, filling lunch every school day; donated school supplies and hygiene products for the school children; and installed an electric inverter and battery system to accommodate the absence of city power. The electric inverter project allows the school to store power in batteries since city power is only on from 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. and not every day.  The system is designed to charge when power is on and provide electric power during the day for various uses including the newly installed water purification system.

Since city water in Jeremie is only available for 6 hours every other day and does not adhere to an exact schedule, the Sister Parish Committee, led by Cathedral parishioner Gary Boice, decided to install a water purification system to service the Ecole St. Thérése Montessori School and surrounding community.  Initial planning began in October 2010 with construction of the pumphouse and electrical work following in December.  Construction was completed and the purification equipment installed in February 2011.

Ecole St. Therese Montessori School serves Grades 1 – 4, with 230 students enrolled and a staff of 20 members.  Purified water is now available for students and staff for hygiene and cleanliness and for the school kitchen.  Each student and staff person receives a 2 gallon container to carry purified water home each day.  This should improve the health and lives of over 1,000 people.