ABOUT GT
GT Water was created in 2016, to help families improve their quality of life by providing access to a sustainable supply of clean drinking water.
Since then, we have provided clean drinking solutions for over 970,000 people in Haiti and Honduras.
Our model is establishing self-functioning, geographically local teams. We help stimulate the local economy by hiring local residents, paying them a living wage, and purchasing supplies from local vendors. We believe the solution to the clean water crisis must go beyond distributing water filters. We focus on providing potable water to underserved populations (families, women and children), training locals to manage and maintain their water filters to ensure each water filter is helping as many families as possible for the longest time possible.
Why Clean Water? Simple. Clean water is directly linked to quality of life.
Clean water means education, income, and health—especially for women and children.
We pride ourselves on a community-based approach. Our staff is made up of fairly paid committed locals who provide the necessary insights to achieve the greatest positive impacts.
THE PROBLEM
Worldwide, 1 in 10 people lack clean water. The majority of these people live in isolated, rural areas and spend hours each day collecting water. This means many children don’t have time to attend school and parents have less time to earn money.
Unfortunately, getting water is only half of the problem. Oftentimes, the collected water carries pathogens that can cause serious waterborne illness.
Just a few of these waterborne illnesses are:
GT Water Project (www.gtwater.org) started in 2016, focuses on the Latin American countries of Haiti and Honduras. Our approach: we train, hire, and pay local teams that distribute water filters to deserving orphanages, churches, schools, and families, focusing on underserved populations consisting of mostly women and children. The model we use is based on community support, whereas we buy local and hire local, thereby putting money into the local communities that we serve. In the past seven years, we have helped over 97000,000 people with the availability of clean water.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere—where 40% of the population lacks access to clean water. That’s over 4 million people. Of 161 countries with available sanitation data, Haiti is the only nation that has seen access to clean water decrease in the last 20 years. Couple that with the ongoing breakdown of government services, agressive gang activities, and even a cholera outbreak, the need for clean water has never been greater.
We’re working with locals in the greater Les Cayes area of Haiti to install 50 to 100 water filters in communities per week. These filters not only provide thousands of families with clean drinking water but have helped stem numerous cholera outbreaks.
With the help of donors and a dedicated local staff, GT Water has made clean water available to more than 600,000 Haitians.
Access to clean water in Honduras remains a significant challenge. Over 3 million people, or about 35% of the population, do not have access to clean water. About 1.1 million people live in the barrios that sprawl up the hills around major cities. These impoverished neighborhoods lack basic infrastructure, sanitation, and essential services such as clean water, electricity, and proper waste management. This is where our local team distributes and maintains thousands of clean filter systems for individual families, medical clinics, orphanages, schools, and churches that provide clean water for about 350,000 people.
In 2018 we started the GT Water Project Smile. This program supplies a Project Smile Kit* consisting of – toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste for a family. During the past 6 years, we have given out over 5200 GT Water Project Smile Kits, helping over 20,000 people have lots of happy smiles (and clean teeth) in both countries.
HOW WE HELP
GT Water - Haiti
GT Water has had full-time operations for 8 years in Les Cayes, Haiti. We employ 4 team members and pay them a local living wage. The primary organizational approach is providing clean water to the underserved population of women and children. In Haiti, we accomplish this by giving a 5-gallon bucket with an attached membrane lifelong water filter. Our local team continues to provide access to clean water and food by helping churches, schools, and families through our weekly distribution of GT Water Filters, GT Smile Kit, school supplies, tarps, and food.
We used to source our buckets from the Haitian manufacturermanufacture in Port aux Prince then charter local safe bucket transport to Les Cayes. Now we must fly in buckets from outside the country or source used food-grade buckets locally and clean them before deploying. Anything coming from the airport needs armed guards for transport. While the actual trip distance is about 120 miles and under “normal road conditions” it is a 5-hour trip. Since 2019, due to the country-wide unrest, it now takes a 2-3 days transport trip accompanied by armed security guards to navigate around and through contested areas, road closures, and checkpoints.
How do we source our water filters? We obtain them through a veteran-owned and operated company in Michigan. We work very closely with a Florida-based missionary airline, Agape www.agapeflights.com to ship them to Haiti . They serve an in-country missionary network throughout the Caribbean and fly to Les Cayes weekly. Cargo space is at a premium as this is one of the very few cargo planes still flying into Les Cayes due to gang attacks on aircraft. Agape enables us to still provide food, best-in-class water filters, and GT Smile kits in Haiti.
The GT Water team trains the candidates on proper filter use and supplies any required filter maintenance between checkups every 3 months
Here are some insights on our operations from our local GT Water staff in Haiti.
GT Water - Honduras
GT Water Honduras and its’ Honduran Partners serve thousands of families annually in need of clean water, healthy smiles, and food. Our 5 person local team supports all of these efforts year-round through our expanded warehouse facility that was completed in early 2023.
Our GT Water team distributes 50 to 100 water filter units per week through a well-defined network of local schools, churches, health clinics, and orphanages. Additionally, we partner with two additional humanitarian mission Honduran-based NGOs that support our Honduran Clean Water efforts. We have partnered with these groups for over 5 years.
CareLink Foundation, carelinkfoundation.org in addition to its’ clean water program, supports the local communities through active micro-lending programs.
Our CareLink Honduran Partners
World Gospel Outreach (WGO), an additional GT Water Partner, wgoreach.org distributes GT Water Filters as part of its team outreach programs in Tegucigalpa.
JOIN US
Our operation is made possible by the generosity of ordinary concerned citizens around the world. People just like you. We invite you to join us in our efforts to bring clean drinking water to every Haitian in need.
As a registered 501 (c) (3) organization, your gift to us is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by US tax regulations, and will go toward providing the equipment, training, and support necessary to bring safe water to Honduras and Haiti. No gift is too big or too small! Each will play an important role in expanding access to clean water for those who need it most.
Donate Today
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. WHAT KIND OF WATER FILTER DO YOU USE?
We use a membrane filter that eliminates 99.9999% of disease-causing microbes and pathogens that may be present in the water. Our filter attains the highest level of filtration available today. In fact, it's the same filter that is used in kidney dialysis machines. It requires no power or chemicals, can purify over 500 gallons a day, and has a lifetime warranty.
Click here for more information on the filters we use.
2. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THE FILTERS?
The GT Water staff visit each filter site every 3 months and are available for maintenance between visits.
3. HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?
10 million Haitians and Hondurans lack access to clean water. Since the earthquake in 2010, the cholera claimed more than 10,000 lives. In many cases, clean water is the difference between life and death.
4. WHY HAITI?
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and it is the only country where access to clean water has decreased over the last 20 years. It's important to provide a sustainable solution to Haiti’s water crisis through local employment and local product sourcing. By doing this, we help improve both the water and economic situations.
5. WHY HONDURAS?
Honduras faces significant challenges in its standard of living, characterized by high poverty rates, economic inequality, and limited access to essential services. Approximately 73% of the Honduran population lived in poverty, with 53% experiencing extreme poverty. Access to clean water helps prevent chronic illnesses, life-threatening diseases, and debilitating parasitic infections. It enables families to save time, reduce expenses, and improve their health, creating a brighter and healthier future for their children.
6. IS MY DONATION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?
Absolutely! As a registered 501 (c) (3) charity, your gift to GT Water Project is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We also accept non-cash asset gifts. Please contact us with your non-cash donation requests.
EIN 81-4172473
GT Water is also a registered Haitian NGO Foundation.
Contact Us
We want to hear from you!
Whether you have questions before donating or would like to let us know about something we can do better, please feel free to get in touch with us via the form below:
Ramsey, NJ
PO Box 626
Ramsey, NJ 07446
Les Cayes, HAITI
Avenue des Quatre Chemins
Les Cayes, Haiti
Honduras
COLONIA SAN FRANCISCO PRINCIPAL 3104
CASA: 3104
POSTAL: LA PEA
REFERENCIA: MEDIA CUADRA DE POSTA POLICIAL FRANCISCO MORAZÁN DISTRITO CENTRAL