An island within an island: 19 years of rural WASH programmes implementation in La Gonave, Haiti

With harsh environmental conditions and isolation, the island of La Gonave, in Haiti, offers a rare opportunity for studying the impact of long term support in sustainable WASH services .After 19 years of WASH programmes implementation, Concern Worldwide was willing to document different experiences held in this particular context. Moreover, La Gonave suffers from a relative lack of investment from the government, which increases its vulnerability in terms of access to safe water and sanitation. This isolation piles up many challenges, endangering population health and well-being: dry and tough environmental conditions underlying scarce water resources and logistical issues, a constraining governmental policy on water and sanitation leading the NGOs to adapt and create new strategies, and complex social and cultural aspects affecting the expected outcomes. The situation of La Gonave requires creative programmes and innovative techniques to address these factors. This paper aims to outline some examples.