bon dlo (good water)

Friday, April 23, 2010


This morning started with a water filter distribution with the congregation at Ephiphanie. Guito had traveled up the mountain with the team and therefore wasn't available for the education portion of the distribution. Mike explained how to construct the filter, how to maintain it, how it worked, and how to clean it. He stressed the importance of clean water and not contaminating the filtered water (even by just reusing the bucket which they collected the water to hold the filtered water without washing it). He also provided information phamplets about how one can put clear water inside a clear plastic bottle such as an empty Coca-Cola 20 oz and then place the bottle in the sun for 6 hours for the water to be treated for microbes. Pastor Gabriel clarified, re-explained, and emphasized details as Mike and he deemed appropriate to help ensure that everyone understood what was being said. People asked questions and interacted in the discussion.

The group was smaller than on the day of the seed distribution. I was surprised by who did not attend. I expected to see a couple of the matriachs of the church, but they were not present. Only about 12-15 people, all adults, attended the information session. Of that group only 7 people had 5-gallon buckets in which to insert the filter. Pastor Gabriel led the distribution and recorded who received the filters. Mike and I assisted each person who did have a bucket in drilling a hole and then fitting the pieces of the filter together. We had the owner of the filter actually attach the piece with the filter since they would need to remove it occasionally to clean it and then re-attach that piece.

Although we had desired a larger turn-out, we recognized that not everyone had or could spare a 5-gallon bucket in which to place the filter. One woman who came had borrowed a bucket from a neighbor and couldn't receive her filter that day because she would have to return the bucket to her neighbor. She still wouldn't have the water filter even if we had used that bucket. We had hoped to be able to distribute buckets alongside of the filters to supplement this anticipated need. Despite Mike and our staff's efforts to locate the needed buckets, none had been found. During the information presentation, Mike realized each person receiving a filter should actually have three 5-gallon buckets. One bucket would be for the filter, one for retrieving questionable water from a local stream, and one for holding the good drinkable water once it had been filtered. We would not have had enough buckets for everyone even if we had been able to find them before this distribution day. Now we know how many we will need to purchase, and we will have another information session and distribution once buckets are purchased so that the rest of the congregation has water filters and consequently potable water.