The Northwest Artibonite has one of the highest rates of cholera in the country, hitting especially hard the isolated mountain communities of Anse Rouge and Terre Neuve. In response to the epidemic and with the help of a 500,000 USD ERRF grant AMURT has been building and distributing 1,500 household bio-sand water filters and 1,000 latrines, building 75 public toilets, as well as helping 12 communities protect their water sources.
A portion of the latrines will be installed in the salt production areas in Commune Anse Rouge in the first 2 months of 2012, in order to improve the working conditions in these areas and the quality of sea salt produced by the small traditional salt basins. The program is part of a 5-year initiative focusing on the elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) and improvement of the socio-econmic balance of the area.
