The drinking water is unsafe in the Dominican Republic. Foreigners are told to keep their mouths shut while taking a shower, brush their teeth with bottled water, and ask for drinks without ice at restaurants. Natives are more adapted, but the effects of contaminated water were still a major issue when the mission first came to the mountains. Sickness from water means the nutrients from food do not stay in the body, hence a growing issue of malnutrition.
One of the more successful projects the mission has created to benefit the health of the villagers is the water project. Essentially what looks like two white buckets stacked on one anther is really a system which was invented to cost effectively purify the water. The health of the village has improved tremendously since the villagers have placed this purifying system in their homes. Water is now safe to drink.
When I used to think about joining the Peace Corps or working with organizations such as the mission, I took for granted how small changes really do make the most impact. Water is still a concern of the mission, there is not a reliable water source into the villages and La Cucarita many times will go without running water for weeks. Let me explain "running water." Showers and faucets exist in the new mission homes, but water is maybe available a few hours a day from a little PBC pipe that runs along the dirt road. If the pipe leaks or cracks, which happens frequently, the search for the problem starts at the top of the hill and continues down the mountain until the source is found.
In the meantime women gather water from the river or a little water sprout which is a 30-45 minute hike. Water is kept in large barrels and then placed in the purifying bucket as needed. Aside from showering at the water spout or river, bucket showers are one's only option. In the summer the freezing cold water may seem like it would be welcomed and with the right attitude I suppose it is. For missioners the entire routine is a grand adventure for a week or so, for the people of La Cucarita this is the only life they have ever known.
The mission still wishes to fund a project to ensure the village has reliable running water; a grand idea which takes time and money. My life lesson, nothing happens over night. There are a million grand ideas circulating the mission office, all of which I want to be a part of and make happen today. However, proper planning and insurance of the financial backing is crucial. Small gradual changes are also the most steadfast. In risk of sounding cliché, slow and steady really does win the race.
One of the more successful projects the mission has created to benefit the health of the villagers is the water project. Essentially what looks like two white buckets stacked on one anther is really a system which was invented to cost effectively purify the water. The health of the village has improved tremendously since the villagers have placed this purifying system in their homes. Water is now safe to drink.
When I used to think about joining the Peace Corps or working with organizations such as the mission, I took for granted how small changes really do make the most impact. Water is still a concern of the mission, there is not a reliable water source into the villages and La Cucarita many times will go without running water for weeks. Let me explain "running water." Showers and faucets exist in the new mission homes, but water is maybe available a few hours a day from a little PBC pipe that runs along the dirt road. If the pipe leaks or cracks, which happens frequently, the search for the problem starts at the top of the hill and continues down the mountain until the source is found.
In the meantime women gather water from the river or a little water sprout which is a 30-45 minute hike. Water is kept in large barrels and then placed in the purifying bucket as needed. Aside from showering at the water spout or river, bucket showers are one's only option. In the summer the freezing cold water may seem like it would be welcomed and with the right attitude I suppose it is. For missioners the entire routine is a grand adventure for a week or so, for the people of La Cucarita this is the only life they have ever known.
The mission still wishes to fund a project to ensure the village has reliable running water; a grand idea which takes time and money. My life lesson, nothing happens over night. There are a million grand ideas circulating the mission office, all of which I want to be a part of and make happen today. However, proper planning and insurance of the financial backing is crucial. Small gradual changes are also the most steadfast. In risk of sounding cliché, slow and steady really does win the race.
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