Walt Ratterman 1952-2010
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, SELF’s executive director received devastating news—our colleague, Walt Ratterman, had been in the Hotel Montana in Port au Prince just six minutes before the quake hit, and had not been heard from since. Over the next four weeks, as rescue teams struggled to search the ruins of the once esteemed hotel, we hoped that somehow—against the odds—Walt had made it through. Sadly, on Monday, February 8, we learned with certainty of his death.
There are no words to express the depth of our sorrow at this tremendous loss...
Walt’s selfless devotion to people less fortunate is legendary. Often on the road for as much as 60% of the year, he was a true solar hero, and had been an integral part of SELF’s work on the ground for the last several years. Beginning with an installation for Partners In Health (PIH) in Rwanda in 2006, he helped SELF implement our solar systems and train villagers in the local communities. Walt continued to work with SELF and played a key role in our projects in Benin, Lesotho, Burundi and, most recently, Haiti. Below, captured in photographs, are some of our favorite memories.
Walt (left) and the local team install solar panels for SELF at a PIH clinic. Rwanda, 2006.
Walt inspects the solar water pump installation for SELF’s Solar Market Garden project.
Benin, 2007.
Walt demonstrates a clamp-on meter during training. Rwanda, 2007.
Walt verifies solar installation specifications at a PIH clinic. Lesotho, 2008.
Walt improvises materials at a training session. Lesotho, 2008.
A job well done. Walt gathers the local team after SELF’s 10 KW installation at the new
Village Health Works clinic. Burundi, 2009.
In 2007 Walt formed SunEnergy Power International (SunEPI) , a nonprofit dedicated to implementing humanitarian renewable energy projects in remote, rural regions of the world. Operating as SunEPI, Walt continued as SELF’s partner in the 2009 installation of a 10 kW hybrid diesel system at PIH’s clinic in Boucan Carre, Haiti—a first of its kind in the Caribbean basin. SELF will continue this work at the nine additional PIH clinics in Haiti.
SELF’s 10 kW installation at the PIH clinic in Boucan Carré
gives true meaning to “partnership.” Haiti, 2009.
While every death is tragic, this one is truly felt around the world, for Walt’s life and work touched tens of thousands of people in developing countries on nearly every continent. What we know for certain, however, is that Walt would want, more than anything, for each of us to go on living, to not waste a moment in sorrow, but instead to cherish every breath as filled with the possibility of benefiting another human life.
Sometimes, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
Walt, you are—and always will be—an inspiration to us all.
To see more photos of Walt’s work with SELF, click here.
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