Bassin Bleu is a mountaintop community in the southeast region of Haiti named for its famous collection of waterfalls, aqua blue basins, and several grottos of the same name. While rich in natural resources, this community is lacking in many basic amenities such as roads, schools, health care, and clean drinking water. In fact, to go to school the children of Bassin Bleu have to walk more than five miles downhill on an unpaved road and cross a bridge-less river into the town of Jacmel. When the river crests passage is nearly impossible, which means that the students of Bassin Bleu are also cut off from accessing an education. This fact poses a challenge not only to accessing education but also to conducting any business related to taking goods to market or purchasing basic provisions for the households of Bassin Bleu. Additionally, the lack of an irrigation system for directing a water source to different farmers is resulting in farmers leaving their land to seek employment in the city of Jamel or in overcrowded Port au Prince.

 

By facilitating partnerships between ODBJ and engineers in North America, the Dyaspora Coordinating Committee has been working on the development and building of an irrigation system (articulated as the most pressing issue by community members).