HURRICANES HIT CENTRAL AMERICA

Rio Negro is a small mountain community in Western Honduras, still reached only by horseback.  During our several trips there we’ve installed a clean water filter for the school, built school desks and distributed WaterPasteurization Indicators to the families. We also helped provide materials for a simple community water system and talked about how to prevent illness through the use of latrines and hand washing.

The recent hurricanes and flooding in Central America hit Rio Negro hard.  It was an especially cruel blow on top of the pandemic, with many subsistence farms and crops ruined and families forced out of their homes.  Some of the houses on the steep hillsides were swept away and 8 people were killed.

Agua Pura has committed to helping Rio Negro rebuild their water system and provide safe water again to the families there.  We just sent money to one of our nonprofit partners for building materials and water pipe to start the process. Right now access is difficult but when we can we will be sending water filters and other supplies to help prevent disease. When we are able to travel again we will return to Rio Negro to see our friends and continue helping them to have safe healthy lives.

In Southern Mexico around the Mayan ruins at Palenque there are many small, traditional communities that still speak  indigenous languages. Again, most families are subsistence farmers and live in adobe houses on steep hillsides. When the rain and flooding hit them, their crops were often flooded and their homes damaged or destroyed. These families are extremely poor and a long way from the central government in Mexico City, and any government aid often disappears long before it reaches that far.

Agua Pura has worked for several years with a small local Mexican non profit, Diaconia Chiapas, to promote clean water and sanitation in these communities. When we visit, we test water supplies for contamination and provide water purification supplies.  We also advocate for latrines and hand washing stations.  When the flooding hit our partner organization was immediately ready to help and Agua Pura sent money to purchase food and sanitary materials like soap and bleach, and within days they were able to begin distributions. We are proud of the quick response of our partners and will continue to support their efforts to help the indigenous communities in the area.

Agua Pura focuses on long term  improvements and so our goal is to be back to Latin America when we can to continue with our water, sanitation and hygiene programs.  Next summer we hope to talk with families and the community leaders in the communities we support about the next steps in their rebuilding. In the meantime we will continue working with our non profit partners throughout the regions to bring clean, safe drinking water to all.

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