Should safe water be a basic human right or an expensive luxury? Unfortunately, for 4.5 million of the 9 million population in the nation of Haiti, the latter applies! Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. For sixty-three per cent of its population, the daily search for water is a nightmare. A local Haitian newspaper has reported that potable water is "far from the cup to the lips". Carrying their buckets, families walk for miles in search for water and when they reach the water source, the families often cannot afford the high cost. Vendors can charge up to 100 times as much as the cost of the tap water. This represents one-half of the family's daily food budget.
The world's poorest people pay the highest prices for water and in return they often receive water contaminated by sewage. Haitians have a per capita income of approximately $300 and they spend an average of twelve percent of that to get water.
About seventy-five percent of Haiti's population live in abject poverty. Infant mortality is over ten percent. The non-potable water becomes a breeding ground for typhoid and cholera -- diseases to which children are particularly susceptible. Access to safe water must be seen as a basic human right and a key factor in the fight against disease.
"Cup of Cold Water" is a project birthed in the hearts of Evan and Donna Morgan to provide safe water to the Haitian people. Funds will be raised to dig wells and install pumps and generators that are easily maintained and monitored by residents in each area. To this end, Evan Morgan walked across Canada to raise awareness and draw financial support for the completion of this project.
Meet Evan & Donna Morgan:
Evan walked across Canada to raise awareness and draw financial support for this project. He left Nova Scotia on March 1, 2001 to begin his walk on April 1, at "Mile Zero" in Victoria, British Columbia and finished the walk in October, 2001, at "Mile Zero" in St. John's, Newfoundland, a distance of approximately 8,500 kilometers.
Our goal is to drill wells in 1000 communities in the villages, towns, and cities of Haiti.EVAN'S BIO
Evan Morgan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1947, and has spent most of his life in this province. He began working in the insurance industry in 1968, when he was employed with the Empire Group (Sobeys) at their Halifax location. In 1980, he founded his own insurance business Able Insurance Agency Limited with two offices located in Halifax and Lower Sackville. He and his family owned this business until they sold it in 1999 so that Evan could devote more of his time to charitable and faith based activities.
Evan has lived in Lower Sackville since 1969 and has been active in his community as a volunteer. In the late 70's, he and Donna ran a Youth Coffee House known as Jacob's Ladder in a part of their home. Here, for two years, they opened their doors to any youth in the community who needed someone to talk to or who were just looking for a safe place to spend a few hours. In the years between 1985 and 1990 Evan served as the Sackville Mainstreet chairperson and was also chairperson for the Sackville Training & Employment Program for disadvantaged youth. He was vice president of the Sackville Chamber of Commerce for the years 1985 to 1987. In 1988 he was elected as a Halifax County Councillor for District 16 in Sackville and served in that position until the end of the three year term in 1991.
Evan also served for many years as an elder in the church he attended. During the 1980's he was an active member of the Sackville Camp of the Gideons International in Canada and served as both Camp President and Chaplain during his membership. As well, he is a life member of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship in the Halifax Chapter. During the 1980's Evan traveled on mission trips to India, China, Korea and Japan.
Evan now serves his extented community in a variety of ways. He has been a member of the Gateway Community Church in Lower Sackville since 1994. In 1997, he and Donna opened Prayer Mountain Retreat, a Christian retreat centre near Moncton, New Brunswick. This property is made available for people who desire to come apart from their busy schedules to enjoy a time of rest and reflection; the goal is to make it accessible to everyone even if they are financially restricted. Evan is overseer of the Fellowship of Christians, an interdenominational international ministerial fellowship that was founded in 1933 by Evan's father, a missionary and minister for more than fifty years. It is this fellowship that is the charity which gives oversight to the "Cup of Cold Water Project".
Evan and Donna have been married since 1967. They have two children, Cyndy and Matthew, as well as a son-in-law, Matt, and a daughter-in-law, Michelle. Their four grand-children are Joshua, Elianna, Ethan, and Noah. For many years, Evan and Donna have worked together as a team both in business and in many of their volunteer efforts. It is no surprise, then, that this cross-Canada walk is a team effort as the two of them are committed to completing the task of providing safe water for many communities in the country of Haiti. They have personally provided the funds for the first Cup of Cold Water Project well in the town of Archaie, Haiti.