We arrived in the village of Guanacaste the morning of October 17th and exchanged many hugs and embraces expressing our mutual happiness to be together again. The children greeted us with ”Good Morning!” in English, eager to share what they learned since our last visit in May.
After our enthusiastic welcome, we began the first meeting of the water committee for the water purification project.
We reminisced how three years ago we rejoiced when the village finally had water.
The water flows into an open cistern in the center of the village. And even though there is water, it is not clean and the flow is inconsistent. The water committee tested the water for hardness and purity to determine what system would work best.
In spite of the challenges, we embarked on another milestone and forged ahead with the planning phase of project.
Equally as important as having clean water is knowing when and how to use it. Day two was focused on health education with a “teach-the-teacher” course. The course uses fun techniques such as songs, plays, and stories to emphasize proper water usage and good hand washing technique. Learning and laughter are a great combination.
The following day, the president of the water committee gave us some good news. He had a discussion with a nearby owner of a coffee plantation willing to share his spring water with the village. The next day we made a trip to the plantation and found a cistern full of clear, running water. The water was tested for hardness and contamination. The results are encouraging.
In the short time since we left, construction has already begun as the villagers make the adobe bricks for the building, which will house the clean water system. Classes on the health aspect started already, too, as one of the teachers taught her first class. We are off to a great start!
