As COVID-19 spread across the globe, Besly Belizaire spearheaded a project to increase handwashing in Deschapelles, Haiti as a precautionary measure against the virus.

Belizaire is the library administrator for Bibliothèque Communautaire Deschapelles, a community library in Deschapelles, the building of which was sponsored by the Essex-based nonprofit Sister Cities Essex Haiti (SCEH).

The library was the first project of SCEH and the Organization pour Development Economique et Social, a volunteer organization in Deschapelles.

Although a variety of projects to expand educational and cultural opportunities for the people of Deschapelles have been supported by these organizations over the years, Belizaire’s project in the midst of a pandemic captured the attention of Essex residents, those in nearby communities, and SCEH.

Funds from these three groups helped Belizaire purchase materials to install spigots into large buckets, essentially creating handwashing stations.

Susan McCann, who is president of the SCEH board of directors, says the organization has been working with the community of Deschapelles since an earthquake in Port-au-Prince devastated parts of Haiti in 2010.

“What is really interesting about the coronavirus situation is that 10 years ago, it was all about Haiti having the earthquake,” said McCann. “But now, it’s the first time that we’re all in this together, in very different ways, but both up here and there [in Haiti], there have been shut downs and people have had to adapt and work together to make things happen.

“This is the first time that we’ve experienced a crisis together. It shows that we’re all humans and we’re all going through this and helping anyway we can,” she added.

Belizaire started the project with his own funds, purchasing supplies to make 10 buckets. But after seeing the need for more buckets, he reached out to Jenifer Grant, a founding member of SCEH and vice president of the SCEH board of directors.

“There is no electricity and no water service in rural towns, so people generally have to go far for drinking water, laundry,” said Grant. “It’s not possible for them to go wash their hands every day when they walk into their house. We thought [this project] was a great idea.”

Grant helped spread the word about Belizaire’s initiative. Today, there are 92 buckets in Deschapelles, located outside places like store fronts, recreational sports areas, and outdoor markets. Belizaire has designated a person to monitor each bucket, filling them with water and bleach each morning.

Terry Parkinson, co-chair of the library committee for SCEH, says the actions of Belizaire are a powerful indication of what can be done at the grassroots level, to affect change in a community.

“He is doing something wonderful for his own community,” said Parkinson. “He is doing something for not only his own survival, but his whole community.”

Like other parts of the world, the government of Haiti has issued a series of directives to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles was designated by the Haitian Ministry of Health as an official COVID-19 treatment site and in April started treating patients suspected of having COVID-19.

A June 3 statement from HAS indicates that its medical team is treating nine confirmed COVID-19 cases and four suspected cases, although the number of infected individuals overall in the country is in the thousands and is expected to continue to increase.

To learn more about SCEH or to make a donation, visit sistercitiesessexhaiti.org.