...

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.

Nicolas Pautassi's Honduras Journal

This is a journal entry from one day in Honduras.
01-16-10
Yesterday we arrive to Agalteca. It's a small community (< 2000 people). The roads are not paved and it has small houses. The community received us in a house with a big front yard were tables had been setup for us. We had a "plato tipico" (tortilla, beans, and plantains). The president of the water board (Modesto) and Antonio from APP spoke to us and some other people from the community who where there. Later that afternoon everyone paired up and went to meet with their host family. I was paired up with Steve. We had a great family. There was Doña Celia (the mother), Don Hugo (the father) and Huguito (the son). We ate dinner with them, plato tipico, and talked with them for some while. It was nice to know a little bit about their lives and share with them.
Today we played a soccer game and the health fair started. Doctors came from the capital, Tegucigalpa, to give medical attention to the community. There is only one doctor in the town which is an intern, so people must really appreciated the health fair.
After the game, I needed to do laundry really bad. In my host family house there was "pila" in the backyard so I decided to do my laundry there. I started not really knowing how to use the "pila". When my host mother saw what I was trying to do, she taught me how to do it correctly. It's amazing how generous the people from Agalteca are with us.