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Marie Mathe Alexis is a midwife in Lévêque, a village in Haiti. Her work connects her to the young women she assists and the children they raise, even as she makes sure that her own children grow up with a good education. But the lack of clean drinking water is a constant struggle for many people here. Giving care to expectant mothers and women in childbirth makes the need especially acute.
As Alexis puts it, “The water is in misery.” Grinding trips back and forth to the nearest water supply claim time that could be spent elsewhere. Scare money goes to motorbike water couriers. And the water, when it arrives, has to be rationed. Despite these efforts, sometimes drinking polluted water treated with bleach tablets becomes a necessity. And when children don’t heed the warning to avoid the dirty water, disease can result. “I pray to God for our hardship to be lifted,” Alexis says. “For our country to have, among other things, clean water."
