Puerto Grande Honduras

January 5 th, 2013  ~ January 12th, 2013
Water Installation at the Presbyterian Church in Puerto Grande, Honduras.

Wyoming Presbyterian Church NJ (PCUSA) outreach team in partnership with                   Living Waters for the World (LWW) and                                                                                       The Kurtz Humanitarian Initiative for Southwest Honduras, (KHISH) named after its founder, Dick Kurtz of Trinity Presbyterian church in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and                                        PC Honduras Puerto Grande church leader Pastor Neptaly Poadas ~ we will be there to  teach the community leaders to install and  operate a water filtration system, instruct and train on the benefits of clean safe drinking water.

                                

Wyoming Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Millburn NJ:

Jane Collingwood (Safety Harbor FL), David Gellatly (South Orange),                                        Liz LeClair & Leigh Wills (Maplewood)

Advent Church Cordova TN: LWW co-moderators Harlon Mills(TN)  & Dave Parks( KA)

PCUSA Honduras co-worker: Rev. Mark Wright

LWW in country director: Melvin Flores LWW & in country driver: interrupter Franklin Lulz

LWW Haiti

TRIP REPORT

St. Saveur Eglise Solar Water Treatment System Installation

Les Cayes, Haiti

June 13-19, 2012

June 2012, after many frustrating delays and changed sites, our team of nine arrived on the island of Haiti.  Thanks to the gracious sponsorship partnership of Fondren Presbyterian Church USA (Jackson, MS), Second Presbyterian Church USA (Little Rock, AR), The Walker Foundation (Jackson, MS), and the Wyoming Presbyterian Church USA (Milburn, NJ).                                                                   Our objective; for the team to install a solar powered water treatment system at St. Saveur Eglise Episcopale in Les Cayes, Haiti.   

And so our story begins… It takes a village of people to get this huge job done.  We had experts in water systems,  electrical and solar power, educators and our invaluable in-country team to make it all happen.  The team consisted of:  Bill Mendenhall (MS), Helen Boone (MS), Cathy Boone (CA), Hank Kruckeberg (OK), Bill Salmons (OK), Jim Coates (TX), David Gellatly (NJ), Ashley Broadhurst (NV), Surpris Cherazard (TX), Ancy Fils-Aime (Haiti) and Valdes Innocent (Haiti).  

Mid-morning, we loaded our equipment into our Kia truck to head over the mountains to Les Cayes, the third largest city in Haiti located on the southern coast about 120 miles from Port-au-Prince.  We made a quick stop in Leogâne to check on a water system installed there by LWW and met old friends.  Our trip was extended by a recurring radiator problem with the truck, giving us plenty of time for travel games and planning our new Haitian business ventures (think goats)!.  We finally arrived in Les Cayes around 6pm.  Our home away from home this week was the rectory, next to the St. Saveur Church and across the street from the building that will be housing the water system.  The nine of us quickly made ourselves at home, Father Colbert Estil welcomed us to Les Cayes.  

The boys were eager to scope out the work site, so we headed over to the water house. Valdes and team had been there installing the solar panels and setting up the water tanks, ready to roll. 

Friday morning, Valdes, Bill, Jim, David, and Hank we set to work on the system plumbing and electrical, with the Haitian  volunteers designated to be the system operators.  First job,was to get the water board assembled and up on the wall, Jim and team worked  on the electrical.  Across the street, Helen, Cathy and Surpris started teaching a group of five Haitian community leaders about hygiene & germs, how to use the clean water from the system and keep those bottles of  water clean.  Meanwhile, Ashley, Ancy, and Bill set off to do solar surveys of new potential sites nearby (of course, that depends on how you define “nearby” — pass two creeks, through the river, then turn right)!.  

Exhausted, we called it a day and retreated to the rectory for another fine meal served by the very gracious Nicole and her team.   Although water and Coca-Cola are always favorites, the team developed a real taste for the local beer, Prestige.

It should be noted that days start early in Haiti, especially because the electricity goes off about 6:45am, which means the fans stop working. After that, there really is no reason not to get up and get to work!  

Saturday, with a full house at our water classes & the water operators coming to learn about,how to preserve the water & how to teach the community about the importance of keeping bottles clean.  When it came time to demonstrate how the water system worked, our new operators proved they were already experts.

A day of note ; at 11:20am water started flowing through the system but not till sundown would we be producing safe drinking water.  Multiple tests, measurements and quick fixes were required throughout the day only then we declared success:                              Bon Dlo! (Clean water in Creole.)  The team celebrated its success with a cold Prestige.                                                                     Celebratory Mass and Dedication Ceremony, scheduled for the next day, would actually be celebrating a working water system.            That’s not always the case.  But God had smiled on our band of brothers.

Saturday nite we were invited to the home of a local Rotarian ,friend of Surpris’s~ Dr. Leger.  Our host was kind enough to allow us to relax in his wonderful garden and meet his fellow Rotarians from Les Cayes.  Before long, we experienced another Haitian event:  torrential downpour.  It flooded the streets and blew out the electrical grid but mercifully cooled the air.

Bright and early Sunday (7am), we gathered for the St. Saveur for mass,  a special sermon given by our own Ashley Broadhurst, with Surpris on translation &  Father Colbert, who serves 11 churches throughout the region he would have  two masses and a K-3 graduation ceremony to also oversee that Sunday. Students in wearing their school uniform arrived and had a chance to preview the water system at the Church. The Service lasted about two hours, praises, singing and rejoicing.

Immediately following mass, the entire congregation walked across the street for the LWW Dedication Ceremony.  During the ceremony, Father Colbert blessed the water and thanked us for helping his community.  The Dedication gave a chance to recognize the committed community leaders who will  keep the system operating and continue to teach about preventative  measures that will benefit all.  Their community educators trained for six hours to better understand how germs are spread & how best use the clean water produced by their new water system.  They are committed to sharing all these valuable lessons throughout the community.  Our thanks go to Faline Marie Rolin, Mesidor JeanMathieu, Fan Fan Jean Arold Fat, Nelcide FéGuens, Carmelle Valmont, and Marie Carline Dié.

Likewise, the water system operators play a huge role to insure that the water system functions properly, water stays clean and the community gets the much needed Bon Dlo!  The operators are: Avril Stanley Maclaren, Mascary St.Fort, and Wilner Augustin.  These men worked very hard to learn all about the system as it was installed, we feel confident leaving the system in their good hands.

Thanks to  Nicole Hyppolite and her team who fed us amazing meals every day and kept our refrigerator full of cold water, soda and beer.  Many thanks to Nicole and her team, Lisa Morose, Gertrude Mombrun, and Joudeline Estil.

As we  celebrated with this community during the Dedication we were pleased to see so many people come out and learn more about why we were there & to enjoy the clean water.  Father Colbert assures us that this water system will be a great blessing to the surrounding community, which has no access to clean water.  It will produce enough water for 2,000 people to have 5 gallons a day — all powered by the sun.

Monday we said farewell,as we made  our trip back over the mountain to Port-au-Prince. We made a pit stop at a lovely retreat, Jardins Sur Mer, we were warmly greeted by the proprietor, Bob.  He advised us that protests were ongoing throughout the country that day, and that protestors had blocked the road to Port-au-Prince,protests over lack of electricity .  It was easy for us to kick back in tropical paradise, French inspired lunch & a Hibiscus infused liquor.  A real treat. Word came & the protests had ended, so we saddled up and made our way to the city.

Alas, it was not to be.  We once again experienced Le problem with Le Kia!  Even the lighter load on the return trip proved this van could not summit the pass.  Although we put Jim “Mr. Fix-It” on the job, the Kia could not be revived.  The anxious team began to make back-up plans — all committed to making our planes back to the States on Tuesday.   

But when God closes a door, he opens a window because along came another Episcopalian priest, Father Ajax, with room for four of us in his Toyota Land Cruiser. Ashley, Bill Salmons, Helen and Cathy continued on to Port-au-Prince, Bob our friend from lunch, , sent a rescue van for the remainder of the team.  The upside we ended up spending the night at his lovely retreat.

We were all reunited at the airport &  a final hug good-bye.  Eager to return home, proud of what we had accomplished and the challenges we had overcome.

Although we came to Haiti to give something to the people , we all returned with a  gift from the heart,  being a part of this project far exceeded your expectations and your heart has a new fullness!

Many thanks to the people of Les Cayes!

Haiti ~ Les Cayes our gift to you today,clean safe drinking water.

LWW Haiti 

Living Waters for the World Haiti project was supported by the joint efforts of Fondren Presbyterian Church, MS, Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, Wyoming Presbyterian Church NJ, a partnership using both Solar and Water teams have  been in Les Cayes,this week.

Wyoming Church installed a water filtration system at the Episcopal church & school on Sunday, June 17th, 2012 ~ David Gellatly a member of the LWW Wyoming team was there. 

LWW Haiti getting the job done!

A full set of water system parts $3000 was donated by the good people at Wyoming Presbyterian Church, in New Jersey ~ the donated system contained a A/C rather than a D/C pump (required for a solar powered system such as the one required at Les Cayes).  So, we were required to spend approximately another $876 on a D/C pump.  Also, in Ley Cayes, we’ve had to build a water building from scratch, which cost an additional $6,200 (appx).  The water source in Ley Cayes has an existing deep well.  But, because of the distance from the well to the water building, we have had to purchase a D/C submersible well pump, to pull water from the well, pump it across the street and to the water building, with an additional cost of $746.  Finally, because the submersible pump requires additional power, we’ve had to upgrade our solar power system from a 2-panel to a 4-panel system, resulting in an additional $1,700 expenditure. 

All of this adds up to an additional $9,500 that we had not originally budgeted in this project.  Once we install the system and train the operators, we (the Initiating Partner) will need to supply 100 water bottles and pay the salaries of the operators for some period of time, while the system builds up its water recipients and becomes self-sufficient.  So not only is a deep well a bonus but the aid of deep pockets too , we will need to continue to support them for a minimum of four years, visits and parts! 

Moropocay & Puerto Grande

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Puerto Grande

Water survey completed Jane Collingwood asked Pastor Neptaly Poadas questions of the proposed installation of water filtration/sanitizing equipment in Puerto Grande, they would be willing to find members of their church to run the program and teach hygiene. The project is similar to that in Moropocay as described above, with three exceptions. Pastor Posadas is on the Water Committee and has given us assurances that the Committee approves of the project. The project is not ready for LWW to proceed because the existing water supply is not functioning due to a broken pump. Pump replacement will cost approximately $2300 plus the cost of installation, and Melvin Flores is pursuing that with local pump companies. He is also exploring the possibility of drilling a new well on Church property for the water system since the distance between the Church property, where the installation will be, and the well is far and the pipes running that distance are old and cracking. Harlon Mills, Melvin Flores, Tom Kelso & Jane Collingwood toured the town of Puerto Grande which differs from Moropocay in that there is existing electricity available, and so solar power generation equipment will be required also there is many wells which indicates an amble supply of water. Awaiting a report from the engineers without borders & Marel. 
This is a site that we could install very soon.

Monday, January 9, 2012 Moropocay

Jane Collingwood, Harlon Mills, Tom Kelso, and Melvin Flores, all associated with Living Waters of the World,Solar under the sun and Rick Kurtz with the Khish team, conducted an inspection of the existing water supply and site for proposed installation of water filtration/sanitizing equipment and solar power generation equipment in Moropocay. 

Existing Water System in Moropocay.

There is a concrete tank that is in working condition located in front of the church. The tank holds approximately 5000 gallons of water, and is fed by a spring box that is 240' away up a slight incline. The water was flowing from the spring into the tank when we inspected, and the flow rate was measured at approximately 144 gallons per hour. Most of the houses do not have running water, and a faucet near the tank provides a place where community members come to draw water. There is a Water Committee that turns on the flow of water to the faucet at 5am and off in the evening each day. At night, the tank fills. This provides a sufficient supply of water for the Moropocay community of 27 houses.

However, the water was tested by Jane Collingwood in 2010 and found to be contaminated with coliform bacteria, another test January 2012 confirms presence of bacteria. This situation presents an opportunity for LWW, SUTS & Khish to work with the good people. LWW mission is filtration and sanitizing of water for drinking, not supply of raw water, we can only proceed with projects when there is workable existing infrastructure in place to supply sufficient water to a community.

Proposed Installation in Moropocay
The installation in Moropocay will involve three components, a basic building, the water filtration/sanitizing system, and a solar power generation system. The building will house equipment and serves as a water bottle washing, filling and storage station,cell phone charging station, & lighting for the church . The building will be approximately 10' x 20' with a roof that provides 8 1/2 to 9' of headroom inside. It will be concrete block construction, and will include a fairly low service window through which 19-liter (about 5-gallon) water bottles of drinking water will be delivered to residents by the operator. The window must be capable of being secured at night. The building will have a sink area with two sinks for sanitizing bottles with bleach and rinsing them, and racks for storing them. One of the short walls will hold LWW's standard 4x8' board with the water filtration equipment. We have a drawing showing details of the configuration of the building for purposes of construction. The building will be built on community property in front of the church, next to the existing water tank. There are an old unused concrete water tank and about 4 trees on the building site which must be removed.

Because there is no electricity up here in Moropocay, a solar power generation system will be installed on a pole outside the new building, and will provide not only the power needed to run the pumps and filtration/sanitizing equipment, but also some extra power for charging cell phones, which they rely on for communication, and for running lights (and possibly a refrigerator) in the church. The standard solar equipment provides 450W of power, but the particular unit installed will be sized to match the requirements in this case. Tank stands will be constructed from stacked concrete blocks outside the new building to raise the water holding tanks up above the level of the pumps of the filtration system. The filtration system will likely be of the type that uses ozone to sanitize the water, but might need to be the UV type or the more expensive Reverse Osmosis (RO) type depending on the outcome of the tests of water samples taken during our visit for TDS and hardness.

It is important to note that the existing faucet for providing raw, unfiltered water will remain in approximately the same location where it is currently, and the generation of clean sanitized water will not interfere materially with the residents' current use of the raw water. The water filtration system has a limited capacity, and can only filter a relatively small amount of the available water. Because of this, the sanitized water is to be used only for four things: drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and caring for babies.


Proposed Logistics
Khish and Trinity Church Berwyn PA,will sponsor and manage construction of the water building. Living Waters of the World Wyoming Church Millburn NJ will provide the expertise and management of the water filtration/sanitizing equipment installation, and Solar under the Sun will provide the expertise for installation of the solar equipment. Jane Collingwood's church, Wyoming Presbyterian in Millburn, NJ, will sponsor Jane's work and the filtering/sanitizing equipment. Harlon Mills' and Tom Kelso's church in Cordoba, TN will sponsor the solar generation equipment. The LWW people are ready to commence their installation in two stages with two months notice.

January 9, 2012 Meeting With Moropocay Water Committee (the "Junta Agua") and Local Church
The meeting was held in front of the small school house in Moropocay. In attendance were: Felipe Silva, President of the Moropocay Water Committee; Dionisio Dominguez, Treasurer of the Water Committee; Francisco Alvarado Romero, Member of the Water Committee; Pastor Elmer of the Iglesias Presbiteriana Verbo De Dios; Pastor Emeritus Raquel Canales of the Iglesias Presbiteriana Verbo De Dios; Harlon Mills with LWW; Melvin Flores with LWW; Jane Collingwood of LWW; Rev. Mark Wright of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Rick Kurtz with the Khish group.

While we were waiting for members of the Water Committee to arrive, Jane Collingwood asked Pastor Elmer a series of standard survey questions such as the location of the nearest plumbing supply store (Nacaome), whether there is currently any water treatment in place (a few residents have filters), and the taste of the water (it is soft and tastes good). Jane inquired as to whether people were getting sick from the water, and Pastor Elmer confirmed that they were. It was explained to us that an NGO built their current water supply system years ago, and informed them at that time that the water was contaminated. Pastor Elmer informed us that there is enough water from the single well to provide more than enough water to the residents every day, except in the dry season of March through April when they have to ration it to every other day. Jane noted that she had tested the water in 2010 and that it was contaminated with bacteria. Jane asked if the people had expressed a desire for clean water, and Pastor Elmer Moreno responded that they know they would be in better health. It was expressed that they would like to have the ability to preserve and store clean water for the dry season, and Harlon responded that we do not provide that ability.

 Melvin Flores explained the proposed installation of water filtration equipment that would be available to produce clean water in 5-gallon bottles 2 or 3 days per week.

Melvin explained that the solar power equipment which would be installed to power the system would also provide a charging station for charging of cell phones by members of the community. Pastor Elmer asked how long the system lasts, and Harlon answered that the equipment can last 20 years, except for the batteries and filters that need to be replaced from time to time. Pastor Elmer explained that their cell phones currently need to be taken to San Lorenzo to be charged. This trip can take half a day and the residents have to pay for the charging. Pastor Elmer asked whether the power generated would be enough to run amplifiers for a microphone and guitar for 3 services per week at the Church. Tom Kelso responded that he would have to look into the wattage requirements of that equipment, and that the new system could be sized for the particular requirements in this installation. Harlon Mills noted that the power output that the standard system could provide is 450W. Pastor Elmer inquired as to when the construction was take place, and Harlon responded that it would be this year, but would not start for at least two months.

We asked whether, if we provided the materials, the men from the community could build the building for the equipment. Mr. Dionisio Dominguez of the Water Committee responded that they could, but they would need to hire a mason to oversee the work, and the cost to pay him would be 250 - 300 Limpiras per day. He estimated that the building project would take about 1 week. Harlon explained how the system works.

Melvin explained how the system would be maintained. In order to sustain maintenance of the system over time, including replacement of batteries and filters, we requested that they charge a nominal cost such as 5 limpiras (about 26 cents) for the 5-gallon bottles of clean water. For those residents who cannot afford this cost, the water should be given away for free. We requested that at least 25% of the clean water be given away for free. An average family uses about 2 bottles per week. The Church and the Water Committee can decide how much to charge. Extra water may be sold to neighboring communities if they choose. We requested that they not charge more than 50% of the local prevailing price for water, which is currently 15 Limpiras for a 5-gallon bottle. Mr. Dionisio Dominguez of the water committee asked whether people would have to come to the new building to get water. Harlon replied that they would, or the village could arrange delivery as part of its business plan. Melvin explained the system whereby each family gets one of the bottles (provided by LWW) at a time, and exchanges their empty bottle for a full one when needed. Mr. Silva of the Water Committee noted that some families are large and they would need more than one bottle. Harlon stated that they could negotiate with LWW for more bottles if they like. Harlon noted that the clean water is only for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and caring for babies.

We requested that the small charges received for the clean water be held by the Church and used for maintenance, and that any money left over be the property of the Church. Mr. Dionisio Dominguez asserted that the water committee should receive the money from the charges.

The Water Committee will go back and talk, and will give us an answer on their approval on Wednesday when we return.

January 11, 2012 Meeting With Moropocay Water Committee

The meeting was held around the water tank. In attendance at meeting were: Francisco Elvarado, member of the Water Committee; Felipe Silva, President of the Water Committee; Dionisio Dominguez, Treasurer of the Water Committee; Pastor Elmer; Pastora Racquel; Harlon Mills; Melvin Flores; Denny Leeper; Tom Kelso; Jane Collingwood; Rick Kurtz; 7 women from the community; and 3 other men, including the grandson of the landowner of Moropocay.

Melvin answered a few brief questions from the Water Committee members (in Spanish only). Melvin then explained that we are ready to go, are looking for a commitment, and have a covenant that reflects our commitment and theirs. Mr. Dionisio Silva Dominguez of the Water Committee handed Melvin a list of their demands. This included a demand that the new clean water system not use the town's existing water supply system at all, which would require that we build a new spring box, new piping from the spring to the water storage area, and a new raw water storage tank. The list also required that the cleaned drinking water be supplied free of charge to all residents (which would leave them without a means for sustaining the system over time). An animated, almost heated, debate ensued between the Water Committee members, mostly Mr. Dionisio Dominguez, and Melvin/Harlon for nearly an hour. We proposed as a concession that the Water Committee take 20% of the charge for the clean water bottles. However, no agreement was reached. The ladies of the village were very strongly in favor of the installation, as were the Pastor and Pastora, but the Water Committee would not agree. Afterward, we were assured that there are other people of the village outside of the Water Committee who hold substantial power, and they would be consulted in an effort to change the minds of the Water Committee. Melvin exchanged cell phone numbers with Pastor Elmer, and he will call Melvin on Monday or Tuesday to let him know whether a final decision has been made by the village.

Clinic at Moropocay thanks tour new friends from KHISH

Everyone, on the tank!

Moropocay