BURNSVILLE, Minn.-Bob Stowell, SVP/COO with US Federal Credit Union here, recently returned from a humanitarian mission to Haiti as part of a group from the Burnsville Morning Rotary Club. Working with Haiti Outreach, Stowell was located in the city of Pignon for three days working on the main project of building a pump house, and also attended the dedication of a well, which has cut to 45 minutes from four hours the travel time necessary to get fresh water. Stowell, who is the incoming district governor for Rotary District 5950, also visited the village of Ronkit, where he began his club's next project: the planning, funding and construction of a school.
Below, Stowell answers questions about the trip from CU Journal.
CUJ: How did the Burnsville Morning Rotary Club come to be involved in this project?
Stowell: This is a project that many Rotary clubs in Minnesota and actually in some other districts outside of Minnesota have been involved with. Rotary has been supporting Haiti Outreach in their quest to provide wells to many of the communities in the Central Plains of Haiti, such as San Raphel, Ranquitte and other communities.
CUJ: How many from the club participated, and why did you choose to do so?
Stowell: There were about 15 Rotarians and non-Rotarians from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and some of the southern states that were a part of this trip. As a reference point, each traveling member pays their own way to be able to go over there and serve the Haitians.
CUJ: Does the Rotary Club also finance the materials and other costs?
Stowell: Financing is provided by donors with a significant portion of the dollars coming from Rotarians that give generously to provide dollars to drill wells and build schools.
CUJ: What was your impression of conditions in Haiti?
Stowell: Haiti is a very poor country and is desperately in need of more wells, schools and medical care. The country of Haiti is significantly smaller than Minnesota, which has a population of about five million, and Haiti has about a 10 million population. It is extremely dense in Port-Au-Prince.
CUJ: Did you have the opportunity to interact with any credit unions while there?
Stowell: There is a small credit union in Pignon that serves most of the community. It was interesting to see how many Haitians use the credit union. Obviously the dollars are on a much smaller scale, but there is a clear sense that they need to save and use the services of the financial institution. Our best estimates indicate that there are about 175 credit unions serving a little over 400,000 members in Haiti. Considering the population of Haiti, this is a very small number of Haitians being served.
CUJ: What lessons were learned that will be used in future work in Haiti?
Stowell: The single most significant issue in Haiti is the lack of coordination of incoming funds and relief. Due to the corruption of the government, there is no agency that is spearheading how the dollars are being used and ensuring fair and impartial distribution.
Additionally, with so little jobs and a significant workforce, it is imperative that the Haitians have the opportunity to get educated and then have guidance to create infrastructure for the country and subsequently create jobs. I have continued to say that when we give them water we take care of them for the day and when we give them an education we take care of them for a lifetime.
