West Point Cadet blogs from Honduras
April 5, 2011
By Bradley Potts
Hi everyone,
After a day of travel and acclamation to the balmy climate, we were eager to begin our work. Today, we had a chance to meet with representatives from Water for People and regional water project directors for the area. We discussed the goals of Water for People in the area which included water delivery and sanitation to 95% of villagers in the municipalities of San Antonio, El Negrito, and Chinda. The overarching goal of the Honduras work, however, is to teach villagers to maintain their water systems for long-term use (the teach a man to fish philosophy).
We also learned about the three types of surveys which we will administer at each village we visit; these include household interviews, a community water point interview with a village leader, and a public institution interview aimed at understanding school water delivery and sanitation. By coupling the surveys with chlorine tests at various points within a town, we hope to learn about system upkeep, performance, and delivery to the villages various taps.
In the afternoon, we were afforded our first chance to survey and assess a village. After a long ride through countryside, we arrived at Colonia San Juan, a village of approximately 660, within the San Antonio municipality. Here, we conducted 20 household surveys and grew more comfortable with the format and our own speaking abilities. The village consisted of colorful open brick houses and rocky dirt roads; local dogs and hundreds of chickens shared the grounds with livestock. The villagers were very friendly and generally satisfied with the water delivery system. Nearly all had a running tap just outside their front doors and a clean latrine within meters of the home. It was apparent that many of the older women took great pride in their homes; it was not uncommon to see fine kept and fragrant houses decorated with children's school certificates. Colonia San Juan was a great first impression of rural Honduras and I hope to visit many similar sites this week. Upon completing the survey, we gathered very important data for our report to WFP; without delving to deep into specifics, the village of Colonia San Juan seemed to be in good shape with the exception of infrequent chlorination of the water tank and that we could not view the financial records.
Tomorrow promises to provide more great experiences as we split into two teams and visit four more villages. Also, today marks the first of a profile video that I plan on conducting for all team members. It is a small peek into the life of Mark Atangan.
What do you think?
