Clean Water Is Living Water Nancy As we enter this very humble

Clean Water Is Living Water Nancy As we enter this very humble home off of the dirt road (really more like an alleyway) through a wide door which slides open, but does not fully meet the ground, leaving a gap at the bottom, the first thing I notice is the beautiful, dark-­‐eyed baby in her walker. She is able to roll around the house on the concrete floor which has just been washed; we can smell the cleaning solution in the air. This one room home, with a makeshift bedroom sectioned off by some shelving, is inhabited by Nancy and her infant daughter (3 months old) and Nancy’s sister and her daughter (10-­‐11 months old). Nancy is 20 years old and has lived in the Nueva Suyapa barrio since she was three years old. Nancy understands English well, as she had a teacher that would only speak to her class in English, but Nancy answers our questions in Spanish. So we communicate through an interpreter. Nancy’s mother was active in the Way of Emmaus Lutheran Church in Nueva Suyapa and was also a Health Volunteer in the Health for Life ministry – this is how Nancy’s family became involved with the water filter program. Previous to having a water filter, Nancy purified her family’s water by measuring out a set amount of chlorine. When asked how the water filter has changed things, Nancy answers that it is easier to keep the water clean than before and she and the family feel safer. The flavor of the water is also better. The clean water is used for drinking and to wash the babies’ things. Each water filter container holds about 2-­‐2 1/2 gallons of water, so clean water is a precious thing used sparingly. One of the requirements for having a water filter is to attend a half-­‐day training session in which hygiene is taught, as well as proper care for the water filter. Nancy, her mother, and her sister all attended the training. Nancy shares that the training was worthwhile, that taking care of the filter is not difficult, and that it is important to replace the filter every two years by calling a contact number they were given when they received the filter. When asked if others in the community would benefit from having a water filter, Nancy relates that she does feel others would benefit, as many in the community have the same water issues her family was having pre-­‐water-­‐filter. We wonder about Nancy’s mother, is she still a Health Volunteer? When Nancy finished high school two years ago, her mother moved to Spain for better work. Her brothers, who live in another city in Honduras, gathered the money for Nancy’s mother to be able to move. It was hard for Mom to leave her family behind. We also wonder about transportation and safety in Nueva Suyapa. We learn that buses start running at 4am, people load up on motorcycles to get to the bus station. Taxis are also available for transit. Safety is not so available, and Nancy and her sister do not go outside their home after 8pm. There are no police present in their sector (one of the most dangerous in Tegucigalpa) after 9pm. If they do need help, they call the police in a neighboring sector and hope they come in a timely manner – Nancy’s words are, “We call…then we watch in case they do come.” We are thankful that Nancy and her family have clean water – it is a life-­‐giving step in the right direction. However, much prayer is needed for safety, good government structure and function, gainful employment that does not require a transcontinental or ocean-­‐crossing move, and freedom to live without threat. Please join us in this prayer to our faithful God who can do anything. Thank you. 1 Clean Water Is Living Water Dilicia From Nancy’s house, we walk to Dilicia’s house. The Nueva Suyapa barrio is a tangle of paths leading from the alleyway we started on. It is a squatter’s community built on the side of a hill, so homes have been constructed wherever a family found space. There is some order, however, as we walk down steep, cement stairs with a hand rail in the middle. We are told not to talk to the local drunk as he passes us. We continue down the hillside, now without benefit of steps or handrail, stepping over a thin PVC pipe which we later learn carries water in to the neighborhood people when it is available. Dilicia uses her keys to unlock the door to her home; it is larger than Nancy’s home, a full two rooms plus a separate kitchen area. Like Nancy’s home, Dilicia’s home is very neat and clean and sparsely furnished. Dilicia lives with her father and her sisters in one room, and her sister-­‐in-­‐law lives in the second room. From the back of her home, where the latrine is, Dilicia has a breathtaking view of the Basilica de Suyapa, a beautiful and mammoth, gothic style cathedral built in 1954 to house the patron saint of Honduras, the “Virgen de Suyapa”. Dilicia confirms the information we have learned from Nancy: they previously used chlorine to treat their water; they became involved in the water filter program through the Health for Life ministry run in their community through Way of Emmaus Lutheran Church, where Dilicia is a member; Dilicia and her family attended the required training; the filter is easy to take care of and is to be replaced every two years; the precious clean water is used only for drinking and cooking. Although Dilicia does not remember her family being particularly ill from drinking unfiltered water in the past, she does say that many in the community without a water filter do become ill with malnourishment, diarrhea, and vomiting. Dilicia finds comfort in knowing that because of the filter, she and her family will not get sick from waterborne diseases. What about that PVC pipe we stepped over? Dilicia tells us that the Department of Water pipes in and sells water to the people for a monthly fee based on the size of each home. Since Dilicia and her family have two separate rooms in their house, they pay 160 lempiras (about $8) per month; the more rooms, the higher the fee. The current capacity for the water program is 3,000 contributors. In some areas, people use buckets to get the water they’ve paid for – they fill a bucket every week. We do not see any indication of running water in Dilicia’s home, so we are not exactly sure where that PVC pipe leads to, certainly not to a faucet in a sink. We do know that water delivery is not daily, so families must be careful in their water use. We also talk to Dilicia about a real luxury she has in her home, a highly-­‐efficient word burning stove. The stove was donated to Dilicia and her family, and her brother assembled it. It requires one stick of wood to cook a meal. The wood costs 200 lempiras (or $10) for 70 sticks. Dilicia is a young woman with determination and goals. She will graduate from college next semester with a Business Administration degree and wants to start a cooperative that will help others from her barrio to attend college. She already runs her own business canning pickled vegetables, complete with a board of directors and participation from the community. She and her partners purchase the broccoli, carrots, and peppers they use, preparing them in the Way of Emmaus Church kitchen or in Martha’s kitchen (a Health for Life volunteer). The vegetables are sealed in glass jars and sold to church members and to people in the neighborhood. Dilicia is a young woman receiving clean water; water which allows her to focus her energy on bettering her life because she need not worry about or deal with waterborne illnesses. 2 Clean Water Is Living Water What about replacement filters? Through the Health for Life ministry, water filter recipients are initially given their first water filter “system” (the bucket the water filter sets in and in which the water is collected is included) free of charge. The cost of the water filter system is $20. As noted in the articles above, the water filter itself must be replaced every two years; the cost to replace the water filter is $19. I asked the Health for Life Coordinator, Josefina, if there is a program to provide the replacement water filters free of charge to the families who have water filter systems. Josefina said there is not a program to provide replacement filters, and there is no plan to start one. The goal is to help people help themselves, so to speak. When the families realize what a difference the water filters make in their lives, they place a high value on the filters, a higher value than cell phone minutes or other non-­‐crucial items on which they might otherwise spend their money. Josefina is confident that the people the Health for Life program helps desire to be independent and productive, providing the initial step to clean water is one way to accompany them in achieving that goal. Water filter recipient Margoth and her two daughters, Pamela and Daniela. Owners of water filter manufacturing operation, Filtros Andreus (website under construction at WaterFromClay.org), showing how filters are dried and tested. 3