Sanitation Initiative 2026

Update as of September 8th, 2026!

Working alongside UNICEF and following the Haiti Outreach Leadership Coaching model, we're empowering communities in Hinche to build their own latrines, a critical step toward clean water and improved public health.

With nearly 57% of rural Haiti lacking proper sanitation facilities, our approach focuses on sustainable, community-led solutions. Rather than providing financial relief, we coach families to take ownership of their health through building and maintaining their own facilities.

Our team sits down with community members to talk about leadership and vision: what does it mean to have a healthy, clean community? What future do they want for their homes and their children? From there, homeowners build their own latrines, with our support and training every step of the way. Instead of building latrines for people, we build capacity with them.

Why does it matter who swings the hammer? Because when latrines are simply given to a community, they often sit unused. Ownership changes everything. When people build it themselves, it's theirs. They maintain it. They're proud of it. They use it.

Since launching this 9-month initiative in June, our team has visited 4,814 homes across 47 communities. We found 4,364 homes without latrines and 27,745 people practicing open defecation. So far, 57 latrines have been completed, and with every census visit, we're building a clearer picture of the full scope of need, community by community, home by home.

The initiative runs through January. Encouraging and empowering communities is a critical step toward clean water and improved public health, and with our leadership coaching approach, we're helping communities transform vision into action.

We're grateful to our dedicated team on the ground and especially to the community members whose leadership and determination are making this project a success!