Kerby Abelard, the Facilities and Construction Manager for Back2Back Haiti’s site, stood outside the property on a hot, sunny day. As he stood still to rest for a moment, he noticed a small group of women walking. They carried large water jugs with them, empty as they moved from Canaan (the property across from Back2Back’s campus), to a water station several miles past the property and up the road.
Kerby smiled politely at the women as they moved past him, and an idea came to him. What if there was a community water station near the campus to help residents of Canaan?
In just a few short days, he oversaw a passion project to build a community water station right outside the walls of the Back2Back Campus. For three days a week, two times a day, clean, fresh water is easily accessible to Canaan residents.
“They’re able to walk a much shorter distance to fill their water jugs for their families now,” shared Kerby. “I saw a need, and I wanted to provide a remedy. Together as a team, we provided a simple solution to long walks for fresh water.”
This is advocacy at work. As relationships are cultivated in Cannan between staff and families, they now have another point of relationship and opportunity to come alongside the vulnerable. And it all began by one person seeing a need and rising to meet it.