The One About Water

Do you know where your water comes from? I mean really, how many of you can truly track your water from the facet in your house to the source? The way you get your water may be through a system of complicated pumps, dams and/or miles of tubing. It may be flowing in an orderly fashion over mountains and under freeways to arrive in the walls of your home. Here we make one simple motion to turn on a faucet and out it flows, after a tireless journey, at our disposal.

This water is not just at our sinks, where we wash our hands and fill up a full glass to “wet our whistle.” No, this water runs all through our walls and floors; from our dishwasher and ice maker, into the shower and toilet, over to the laundry room and even out to the yard where you can program it to raise out of the ground in various locations at a certain time on a certain day to keep the lawn from going thirsty. Or you can unravel that green hose and wash your car, clear your driveway, water your flowers or spray the dogs when they start fighting. And then, if that wasn’t enough, the big guns of water storage wait patiently on the street corner geared up to come to the rescue if you home should catch on fire.

But this post is not to make you feel guilt for defecating in a bowl of potable water while 60% of the world goes thirsty. It is truly never my intention to make you feel guilt for all you have. I only hope to bring attention to some real needs in other parts of the world…. Including here in Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

I am sure you have heard that the world is 2/3 water. This ratio could easily make one believe we are in abundance, which we are. Unfortunately only 3% of that water is fresh, and of that only .01 percent is accessible my man. 2 billion people don’t have access to clean water, and 3 million people die annually due to illnesses associated with contaminated water.

Did you know that more people die from diarrhea than HIV and Aids? When have you ever been to a diarrhea fundraiser?

I could go on listing all sorts of facts relating to dirty water. Such as every , every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water related disease. But really, does that hit home? Can just reading that fact really make one fully grasp this massive need? How about reading “The one with the sad day” or my friend Austin’s posts about a similar story. Maybe these real life experiences we are having, and sharing with you make it seem a little more real. But in case it doesn’t, I will just come out and tell you…. this IS reality.

Life in Buena Esperanza is simple, but life in Buena Esperanza is not easy.

Nothing is more vital than having clean and safe water. It is not until this basic life necessity is met that true community development can take place. Fortunately, we live in a place where fresh, clean, potable water falls from the sky. We receive an average annual rainfall of 160 inches in Bocas, all we have to do is capture it.

Most of you reading this know that I have already started a Rainwater catchment project in Buena Esperanza. I sent out holiday cards to many friends and families members soliciting donations. The response I received was absolutely remarkable! I want to thank all of my friends and family that responded with overwhelming amount of support! We were also fortunate to have been chosen as a site for a Rotary water project! So we have giving hands and hearts coming from all directions…. and things are very much underway.

If you didn’t receive my holiday post card, never got around to donating, or maybe want to give a bit more it is not too late.
Fortunately I can say (or rather write) with a big smile on my face, that the water needs In Buena Esperanza are taken care of! Once the tanks are installed, every single person will for the first time in their life have access to potable water.
But it is hard to celebrate our own health and good fortune when our neighbors are still without.
A fellow Peace Corps volunteer is working on a similar Rainwater project, and he is still $1000 short. Please take 2 minutes and whatever amount you can spare to help him and his Ngobes out. Click here to donate

You will be hearing more from me about water! It has been a very busy but exciting time!!!

Paz,
Meti