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I'm not sure whether or not these glimpses into Honduran life helped me learn anything in particular, but after the trip to Honduras I now believe that we have much more work to do, and that there are people that would truly benefit from what we do in the future.
Katie Weible's Honduras Journal Entry
I think that our time spent in Honduras was the best possible way to ensure that we, as students, would fall in love with the Agua Clara project. The things that we got to see first-hand definitely changed my perspective on the project and has encouraged me to stay involved more than any class possibly could have.
One thing that I think most people on the trip came to understand more fully was the value of the Agua Clara approach - the fact that our designs take into account local resources and local ability, that we partner with APP and don't just come in and dump an American plant in their lap. We got to see multiple water treatments plants, some that were really advanced and pretty cool, but not functional for Honduras. It's frustrating to see that these other organizations/countries want to help but they do so in a way that is not sustainable.
As I shared in the first day of reflections, a lot of the people I told about the trip were almost disappointed when I told them that we would notbe building the actual treatment plants. In hindsight, however, I can definitely defend this position better having been on the trip. When we went to Cuatro Communidades and saw how beautiful and well-functioning the plant was, it was obvious that having ownership of the project is essential to its success. The people of Cuatro Communidades definitely felt that the treatment plant was theirs and, as a result, committed to making it work (and even went so far as to plant flowers!).
Of course, we also got to experience communities that were not as excited about the Agua Clara project. Spending time in Agualteca was a very interesting experience, especially since we stayed in people's homes. It was always somewhat disconcerting to be so, so careful to not use their water and then watch as the children openly brushed their teeth in it or even consumed the water that we knew to be sub-par.
Spending time at the Health Fair revealed two important things about the people of Agualteca. The first thing I discovered was the dedication of mothers to their children in that community! These women were lined up and ready to get their children in to see the doctor and they were not going to leave until they got what they needed! But they were not only aggressive about seeing the doctor--they even went so far as to practically mob Matt, Rachel and myself when we were handing out balloons and candy to the children! It was just so obvious that these women wanted nothing but the best for their children. The second thing I learned about the people of Agualteca was that some people are not only uninterested in adopting an Agua Clara plant but are even suspicious of our motives. As we tried to get people to sign a petition in support of Agua Clara, many turned us down saying that they didn't see a need for it or wondered what financial benefit we, the Americans, might receive from it. I was surprised by this in light of the first conclusion I had reached about this community--if the people wanted only the best for their children, why wouldn't they want clean water? The only explanation that was offered was that they don't recognize the value of clean water - yet. This emphasized to me the importance of educating the rural communities that Agua Clara visits in Honduras. People won't support the Agua Clara project until they understand the significance clean water has on the health and well-being of their community. The statistics about deaths due to water-borne illnesses that Monroe shared with us at the beginning of 454 were astounding. Obviously, these same statistics need to be communicated to the people of Honduras so they more fully understand the importance of clean water.