e-Signatures from Smartphones, A Life Changing Experience
"The ability to use SignEasy on my iPhone has changed the way we work, getting contracts signed used to mean hours of travel over unpaved barely traveled roads."
- Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach
Today´s story won 1st prize of our Earth Day contest. Neil works at Haiti Outreach, a non-profit who benefits from eSignatures on-the-go. Here is his heart-warming story of how an eSignature app can change a person´s life as well as his organization´s efficiency.
For the past 23 years my work has revolved around supplying water to rural communities throughout Haiti. We drill rural community managed public water wells and water systems. More than 1,500 to date. What is not generally considered by non profits in these situations is the ongoing management of the well/water system once it is complete. Our work covers both the technical/engineering aspects of physically building the water supply, but also the training and social change necessary for these rural groups to manage the water. This means they spend many months talking out who is the Authority for water (the government), who is responsible for their well (The water committee they themselves create, authorized by the government), how do they generate revenue to fund repair parts (usually subscriber fees of 40-50cents per month) and how do they communicate in a transparent fashion with the general population using the well. All this "management training" ends with signed contracts that document all the details they hammer out. These contracts are signed by the local water committee, the department head who oversees the training, and myself. Also as the head of our organization in Haiti, I am required to sign customs documents, government paperwork, reports and so on. Since my work carries me all around the US and Haiti, the ability to use SignEasy on my iPhone has changed the way we work. Allowing me to sign documents from essentially anywhere in the country. I have sometimes climbed to mountain tops in Haiti to get a cell signal that allows me to sign a contract on my phone and send it along. The complete lack of infrastructure makes our work arduous and challenging in the best of times. Getting contracts signed used to mean hours of travel over unpaved barely traveled "roads" just to sign a contract for the next well or water system. Now with SignEasy it happens instantly. Love it!
Here is a day into Neil´s daily work in Haiti:
Thank you Neil! It is gratifying to receive such stories of how being able to sign-on-the-go with SignEasy contributes not only to your life but to many lives.
- SignEasy Team