Donating water filters and roadside emergencies
This post is a continuation of the last one (where I talked about the three stove deliveries) and details the 2nd half of our day.
When we were finished with the 3rd stove, we went to the San Jorge town square. On the square is a Catholic church, some homes, and some businesses.
Like many town squares in Guatemala, a majestic church stands proudly on one side of the square, a welcoming gathering place for the devout and visitors alike. Omar, our project manager for the day, asked us if we would like to visit the church while we waited for our lunch and the water filters to arrive. They were coming in a separate truck.
Remembering our visit to the Concepcion church outside Solola last year, how awestruck I was by its beauty, I eagerly accepted the invitation. I am not Catholic myself, and I was not quite sure of “rules” I might be breaking — I wanted to be reverent of course — so when we entered the front doors, I tended to follow others’ examples. We sat in a pew close to the front, and we were taken aback by the beauty of the altar. Omar explained that the new fresh floral arrangements like this one were made every week. Also, I had never seen a baptismal font like this one, though I correctly guessed at what it was.
One last question I had for Omar was with regard to what was meant by the “35 años” that was laser-cut into the white and yellow banners that were streaming from the top of the church outward. He didn’t know the answer himself, but found out for us: it was in celebration of the fact that the church had been offering communion for 35 years. I assume that the church is MUCH older than that, so how interesting!
One funny thing Omar pointed out to me is that the boundaries of the soccer field are painted up the front steps of the church! Look at the photo above and notice the white paint lines! They are SERIOUS about their sport!
Also on the town square is an elderly feeding center. That day, we used the space to distribute water filters and take a lunch break!
When we arrived, recipient families were already gathered, mostly young mothers with young children in tow.
It was important to get water filters into the homes of young families so that small children would have a better opportunity to start out healthy and strong — ready for the rigors of preschool or elementary school.
There is now using a different type of water filter! In years past, we installed Sawyer-brand water filters at a cost of $121. They used a two-bucket system where the contaminated water was collected in the top bucket, would pass through a hollow fiber filter and then would be deposited in the bottom bucket. The bottom bucket had a spigot for dispensing.
Now, they use ecoFiltro brand, a one-bucket variety that only uses a terra cotta pot for filtration. It is less expensive, with a cost of $70, but only lasts two years compared to the 10 that the Sawyer filters advertised.
I asked why the change was made and I was told that it was through testing and exams during the Well Child Checkups (which we co-sponsored) that it was determined that children in communities with the ecoFiltro filters tested better (with fewer complications related to contaminated water) than those communities that had Sawyer filters.
So, after the care and use of the filter was explained to all families at once, each family received a plastic bucket, a terra cotta pot, a plastic lid and a plastic spigot. Guatemala Service Projects would like to thank the Oconomowoc Rotary Foundation for its generous donation of $605. They thought this would fund five water filters at $121 each, but with the new model being used, that donation actually covered the expenses for eight filters — almost nine!
One wouldn’t think that “donating water filters” and “roadside emergencies” would be mentioned together: they really don’t relate. However, it’s something we do and see on every trip to Guatemala.
No kidding! You may want to look back to our my post from last year when I talked about the special monument in the Chichicastenango cemetery dedicated to the countless chicken bus drivers that suffered fatalities.
We did not escape, this time, but fortunately our issue was mild. Our transportation to San Jorge on the day of the stove and water filter installations was an extended van. With four rows of seats behind the driver, I guess you could even call it a mini bus! Anyway, as we were headed out of town and on the way to San Jorge, we heard a loud crash and then a long sound of scraping metal. As it turns out, the ladder (for accessing the luggage rack on the top) separated from the rear bumper and was dragging on the ground!
Our driver tried to pull over to get out of the way of passing traffic, and then he creatively used a piece of twine to tie the ladder to the bumper, temporarily holding it high enough off the ground that it would not scrape.
After our stove and filter deliveries, we happened to stop by the waterfall between San Jorge and Panajachel. We were parked in front of it, admiring the beauty of the waterfall and appreciating the lifestyle of the older woman that was washing her clothes on the rocks towards the bottom of the waterfall, the bubbling water rinsing the suds out of the clothes she washed.
After my kids climbed on the rocks and we took all of the desired lake photos, we thought we’d climb back into the van and be on our way back to Panajachel. We noticed that there was a traffic backup, and we saw smoke rising just around the bend from where we were standing.
Within moments later, we heard sirens approaching. As it turns out, a pickup truck’s front end caught on fire. The bomberos were on the scene quickly and extinguished the flames. By the time traffic got moving again and we were able to leave the waterfall, we saw the melted truck frame moved over to the side.
Never a dull moment!
The “right” opportunity arose when I learned about a travel opportunity for adoptive families which would include volunteer work and cultural sightseeing. Being members of that team had a profound impact on me, Lillian and Andrew. Not only were we able to make a real connection to our son’s birthplace, but we met incredibly warm and generous people, all of whom we now consider to be a part of our “family.” In addition to the volunteer work I shared with the Team, I also was able to “give back” by performing as my alter ego, “Farfel the Clown” at a barbecue for children of The Backyard School. It will remain one the proudest and happiest memories of my life.