It’s Water Wednesday!!!
This is our good friend Pedro (we call him Pete, because he told us too!) Pete works with Missionary Ventures in Nicaragua and assists us with translation while we are in Nicaragua.
Pete has taken the lead role on the ground in the Matagalpa area and surrounding villages on the water filter project. Pete has become a great friend and someone who we keep in touch with in between trips to Nicaragua.
We’ve asked him a few questions about the water filter project:
What training did you go through to install the filters and with what organization?
The informal training that I had was when Mike Beadle (a Landscape Ontario member) arrived in Nicaragua and showed me and my helpers how to improve on the construction of the filters. He also showed me how to install the filters in the homes. Formally, I attended a week long class in Managua with the people from the CAWST (Center of Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology) organization. Later I had a personal visit from on of the leaders of CAWST to visit the sites and also collaborated on how to improve the filters.
How many water filters have you installed so far and with what teams?
I have helped install with the support of Mike Beadle and his team a total of 92 filters. We started installing filters in our area in 2009.
How do you choose villages and families to receive water filters?
We look for villages in remote areas that have poor water sources. People who are using river water where they also bathe, wash clothes and go to the bathroom. These families usually suffer from intestinal diseases and also parasites. Many children suffer from diarrhea and malnutrition.
What is the maintenance and follow-up you do on the water filters?
There is very little maintenance on the filters if they are used properly. That is the nice thing about the filters. They last forever and have virtually no maintenance.
When we first started the filters I visited the houses regularly to see if the families were using the filters properly. Now that there are so many more filters, I have a person in each village that I have taught how to care for the filters where there is a problem. They report to me if they are unable to solve a problem with a filter.
How do families react when they receive a water filter system?
The families are extremely pleased and thankful to have the blessing of clean water in the house. The filters have improved the health of the people using them even the children. They no longer suffer from intestinal problems and malnutrition caused by diseases. When medical teams go back every year to do consults on the families they are commenting this year how their health has improved.
Thanks so much Pete for this up close and personal look at the filter process! We’re excited to see you in November!
Craig and Sue Rose (owners of Rockscape Design) with Pete in Nicaragua in February 2012.
Would you join us in donating one of these water filters to a family in Nicaragua this November?
We’re asking if you, your family or your business would donate $350.00 to build a water filter in a remote Nicaraguan village. For more information, contact us at: rachel@rockscapedesign.ca
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