A cup of water

Last night, or early this morning I should say, I woke up and was thirsty.  I walked a mere 10 feet, grabbed a mug off the shelf,  filled it with cool, clean water, and dragged myself back to bed. Though in the moment this undertaking may have seemed difficult, it truly was an uncomplicated task that many perform nightly. That, however, would not be the case if the walk to this water was several miles away, as it was in San Bartolo, Honduras.  Women and children of the community had to make this trek every single day to collect water for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, and so on.  Not only were they rarely able to collect enough water for the day, but the water they did collect was not safe for consumption, thus causing high rates of waterborne diseases. With this information, Covenant World Relief was able to partner with Water 1st International in June of 2013 to being addressing the issue. Just barely over a year later, the Water and Sanitation System for the community of San Bartolo, Lempira (Honduras) has been finished!

Throughout the course of this project, the community of San Bartolo constructed a water supply that is able to provide generous amounts of water for all 54 households, along with a pour flush toilet.  Further, they received training on both hygiene education and how to operate and maintain the new water system.  All the major goals of the project, such as the training, the high quality toilets, and the completed water supply, were met by time it was over. Along with the physical improvements to the community come further measurable outcomes.  With clean water there is much less sickness in the community, thus less money spent on medicine.  Additionally, less time spent gathering water means that higher levels of education can be obtained.  Less tangible results include a higher level of confidence in the community, and in turn, a mindset of being able to effectively accomplish further goals and objectives.

This being said, next time at 3:00 in the morning, when getting that glass of water seems like the most difficult task in the world, remember how blessed we are in having those very basic needs met so conveniently.

 

–Claire Kniowski, CWR intern