When cholera turned up in Haiti’s Central Plateau last October, it was the first time any cases of the disease had been reported on the island since 1960. Few Haitians knew what caused it or how to prevent it. The outbreak quickly reached epidemic proportions. According to the most recent reports, more than 2,600 have died and at least 120,000 more are infected. Although health officials think the number of new cases will likely peak in the next few months, it could be years before cholera is completely eradicated. It's estimated another 600,000 people could be affected before that happens.

Rumors about cholera's origins spread as swiftly as the disease itself through the overcrowded tent camps where more than 1.5 million Haitians have been subsisting in unsanitary conditions since the 2010 earthquake destroyed their homes.

Among the first and most effective lines of defense against cholera are clean water and proper hygiene. Mercy Corps (MC), a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, responded to this latest crisis in the western world's poorest country by providing education about cholera prevention as well as distributing hygiene kits containing such materials as mattresses, soap, and water purification tablets to affected populations.

TPRF contributed $50,000 to MC's efforts to stop the spread of cholera in the hard-hit Tabarre and Pétionville communities. The funds will directly affect about 13,000 people by providing them with access to clean water and sanitation supplies for the next six months, as well as helping to underwrite comprehensive hygiene promotion in their communities.

"Mercy Corps' Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program will ensure drinking water supply and sanitation services for community centers in Central Plateau," said MC's CEO Neal Keny-Guyer, "and will train masons in the construction of latrines and rainwater tanks. Households of the most vulnerable beneficiaries will receive assistance with water supply and sanitation. Public education, another important aspect of successful water and sanitation programming, will ensure that affected populations prioritize basic hygiene practices that promote health and prevent disease."

MC trains volunteers in a variety of methods to relay hygiene promotion messages to as many people as possible. These include one-on-one personal outreach, presentations to school groups and communities, educational plays performed at schools and public venues, and printed materials, T-shirts and hats reinforcing key prevention and treatment messages.