Panama April 2015 - Pt 2

Wala - Meeting with the Chiefs

The village of Wala from the road.

The most interesting story I had to bring home with me from Panama was that of meeting with the chiefs in Wala. It’s not uncommon to see the stories of folks who travel overseas to encounter the smiling faces of foreign children and poverty like they’ve never seen before – but this felt like something straight from the fantastic tales I read as a child. Some moments in life gain a bit of excitement and adventure as we look forward to their coming or as we look back with nostalgia. This moment, however, welled up with these feelings in the present. This felt like an adventure.

Our clan of four (Rachael, Ben, Teo, and I) made our way into the center of the village, and entered a wooden hut that was similar to the houses all around us, but perhaps twofold in square footage. Inside, there were wooden benches all around the perimeter parallel to the walls. These benches surrounded the focal point, which was the chiefs. Previously I asked Rachael if it would be rude to take pictures during this meeting – she likened it to strangers walking in on a board meeting and snapping photos. So with this analogy in my head, I expected the village chiefs to be seated across from us, perhaps even behind some kind of desks or tables. But instead, the seven chiefs laid back in seven hammocks in the middle of the room. They were tied about ten feet above our heads, but dipped down to only a couple feet above the ground in front of us. We sat on a wooden bench at their feet, which we were told was a place of honor.

These men were a sight to behold. Each had a black fedora holding a variety of feathers upon their heads, which was clearly a sign of status. They all wore button-up shirts, and some even had neck ties. And all the men were barefoot. Many other men from the village sat in the benches around the perimeter, and kids would stop for a few moments as they walked by the doorways to gaze in curiously. And so we waited somewhat quietly, staring at the bottoms of bare feet propped up in their hammocks.

Eventually the meeting began (as I learned, Latin America promptness is not nearly as uptight as American promptness). Ben introduced us in Spanish, which Teo then translated to Kuna. Then the chief would respond in Kuna, which Teo would translate to Spanish, which Ben would translate to English. It took very little time for this process to become wearying, and thus it demanded that I intentionally focused on looking alert. Although, much to our amusement, many of the chiefs did not attempt to put up such an appearance. As the dialogue continued, some chiefs got up to have side conversations or work on something while they listened. Others simply fell asleep. Most of the conversation was led by their second-in-command, as their head chief was temporarily in another village.

Water tests from Wala. All the dots are bacterial colonies from fecal contamination.

While the triple translating did drag on, it was also clear how grateful the chiefs were to have clean water systems offered to them. They understood (as many around the world do not) that the water from their river makes them sick. One problem, however, came up at a disappointing frequency: groups had come in the past, they said, and they never followed through to see their project completed. Providing people access to clean water is one of my wife’s biggest passions, and this problem aggravates her to a degree I’ve seen little else do – foreign aid does not mean flying in, dropping off gifts, and flying away. Rather, if we are to implement systems that are effective and actually helpful, there must be follow through and it must come with education. I am not the voice to speak well into these matters, but it was clear that this was a community burned by poorly planned charity on multiple occasions.

So, as Rachael worked through clean water plans with these chiefs, they asked us several times for our word that we would finish what we started. Rachael assured them that we were committed to seeing the job done, and it didn’t take long to see in their faces that they believed us. The interim head chief even gave us a kind and unexpected promise – that if we were true to our word, we would have our picture taken and hung up in that meeting place (which looked as though it would be the first piece of decoration apart from the hammocks).

After many handshakes and head nods and hours on wooden benches (I learned sor nun maket is Kuna for “my rear hurts”) and words I didn’t understand, we made our way out of the building having made the promise to see the mission of Solea Water done in Wala. It was an experience that breathed life into me – getting the process started to provide water to a community that had come so close several times already. So pray with me, friends, as we move forward, that we wouldn’t just be another group that makes empty promises or gets caught up in the moment without any follow-up, but that Solea Water would finally be able to bring clean water to the beautiful village of Wala.

With Village Rights International

Panama April 2015 - Pt 1

Wala & Village Rights International

After 12 hours of travel, we landed with fatigue and excitement in Panama City. The language barrier established itself pretty quickly for me as we made our way through customs. Previously, my furthest venture outside the US had been to the far-off land of Toronto, Canada. On top of this, you could find the entirety of my known Spanish vocabulary on the drive-thru menu at Taco Bell. So, you might say I felt a little lost in this new place so far from my comfortable couch. However, it was here I learned that there are common threads between members of the human race everywhere, pulling us together and making exotic lands feel not-so-far-away after all.

As we exited the terminal in Panama City, we were met by Ben and Teo. Ben had been in contact with Rachael leading up to our trip, and we would spend almost the entirety of our time with him. Ben founded the non-profit Village Rights International, a foundation seeking to aid indigenous groups in Panama in all things legal. Armed with his degree from the University of Florida, Ben was a man set to use his God-given gifts to help these people who were not equipped to help themselves in this arena. See, Ben’s parents were missionaries in the indigenous village of Morti, so he spent his childhood with these people. And as we learned, Teo was from Morti, so their relationship was deep. Teo was going to be our “in” at the village of Walla, a community neighboring Morti, and who spoke a language called Kuna in which only Teo was fluent. I wonder still if we would have been able to reach Wala in the same way had Teo not been a part of our team.

We spent our first evening in a small hostel in Chepo and departed for Wala early the next morning. Ben told us that the logging industry was huge in Panama, which resulted in many open areas. Those that had been freshly cut were still covered in a layer of light ash and littered with blackened trunks. But Ben told us we would notice the stark contrast at the Wala border. He was correct. The fields of thin grass became abrupt thick forest at the border where the logging companies were not allowed to go. Sitting at the border were a couple of men – a border patrol if you will – who spoke briefly with Teo and moved the log gate to grant us entry. Ahead of us was an hour and a half journey through the forest over constant bumps and hills that shook our poor rental car the whole way. I couldn’t help but be amazed at the occasional giant koiba trees – they stood nearly twice as tall as any other trees. According to Ben, the wood is essentially useless, and so they stood as lonely giants in the middle of even the logged areas. After a somewhat exhausting hour and a half of bouncing around, we saw the village of Wala across a river up on a hill.

I got my camera ready as we parked our car on the rocky beach of the river that separated us from Walla. The river was full of activity – it was, as we learned later, the center of life at Walla. Kids laughed and splashed around; fathers played catch with their sons; many women washed clothes at the opposite bank. A man named Alex, our first friend in Walla, pulled a hand-dug canoe over the water. Ben told Rachael and me to get in and Alex would tow us across. Children giggled as we warily hobbled our way into the canoe, and we were escorted across the river by smiling Alex. We clumsily exited the boat on the other side and turned to watch Ben and Teo (much more comfortably) follow suit. We took our backpacks and jugs of water and climbed the steep dirt hill into the village.

Walla felt very foreign to my American sense of comfort. We weaved our way through homes of wooden walls and thatch roofs, which huddled closely together in a seemingly random pattern. Groups of small, shirtless children watched us curiously, only to turn and run at eye contact, a cluster of giggling bellies. Almost every wooden home held up a bright red satellite dish – most likely a gift, Ben told us, from a politician in exchange for votes. So many homes had colorful clothes hanging to dry everywhere, safely above the dirt floors, with a small flat screen TV playing something quietly from the dish. We stopped and left our things at Alex’s home, where we met his family and waited for a bit on wooden benches and hammocks. 

We then had the chance to explore for a bit: we were scheduled to meet with the village chiefs a few hours later. On our tour, we saw the village school (where there was a rain water catchment system in place!), the homes we’d be staying in, and some incredible scenery. Rachael did some water testing at each of the water access points in the community and also took down some GPS coordinates of the water sources, key points in the community, and other existing structures of previously uncompleted projects. It is very common to see parts of water systems, such as the massive water tower at the highest point in the community of Wala and other pieces of piping. Unfortunately, many projects sit unfinished due to a lack of funding.

I will, though, always remember the meeting with the chiefs and elders – which you can read about in Part II (coming soon!)

From left to right, one of Ben's contacts in Morti, Teo, Anthony, Rachael, and Ben

Village Rights International

Faith & Fruit - The Fosters

The Bucket Brigade - Belize

Between March 18 - 22, 2015 nearly 500 people in multiple communities were provided with a way to drink clean water for the first time. Solea Water worked with All Saints Parish Mission Team to provide 60 families and several schools with Sawyer bucket filters.

 

Journal

3/18: Arrived in Belize City at 1 pm. After negotiating with customs officers, we agreed upon a "reasonable" duty for the water filters. We stopped in Belmopan, the capitol city of Belize, for provisions, linner (lunch+dinner), and the 60 five-gallon buckets that we had ordered from Javier. Finally at around 8pm we arrived at Tranquility Lodge. After enjoying refreshments with Lodge owners/great friends Lee and Suzy and company we returned to our rooms for a much- needed good night's sleep. 

3/19: We stopped to say hello to Shantell and Juio and the students at Corazon Creek school. Next, we drove to Mabil ha to see if that village had bucket water filter systems. Our friends Candelaria, Concepcione, and Ruda were doing laundry in a creek near the road. We asked them to hop in the van, drove them home, set up water filter systems in their homes, tested the water at their village water pump, and finally drove them back to the creek. We stopped to visit Santiago and Margartia, who have a bucket filter system that has not been working. Rachael replaced the filter and reminded them to backwash it more often. 

We had a little time to visit with the students in San Lucas and their teachers/our friends Phillip and Romana. Then, as promised, families came to the church at noon. We provided thirty bucket filters for the school and homes in San Lucas! Roy drilled holes in the buckets for the hose fittings and Rachael explained how to assemble and maintain the bucket filter systems. We all had a hand in helping with assembly and collected $5 BZ from each family, which we donated back to their at the end of the workshop. 

After dinner, we had planned to prepare the buckets for the visit to Machakil ha. Within seconds Lee, Rick, Lester and Ingrid joined us to drill and file holes and remove the edging from the lids. With their help, we had thirty buckets ready and loaded in less then 30 minutes! It's a beautiful thing when Midwesterners, Belizeans, and Canadians join forces to help others! 

3/20: After picking up Manuel in Otoxha, we drove to Dolores to load up the horses for our ride. Our guides bagged stacks of 30 buckets and lids and then strapped them to a disgruntled horse. We had heard that the trail was passable during the dry season, but I think most Americans would disagree. Marcos and the other guides had to coax the horses through hilly, horse-belly deep mud, over fallen trees, and over extremely narrow wooden bridges. Without stirrups, we just had to hold on with our legs and hope for the best! The teacher, Mr. Rash, had to abandon his dirt bike in the mud about ten minutes into the ride. We strapped the 50 lb suitcase of hygiene care bags to the back of Rachael's horse. Mine already carried assembled buckets and filters on each hip. Roy had a large duffle bag in his lap. Poor horses!

The 6+ KM ride lead us Machakilha where we waited for men from each household to join us in the village's church for a bucket filter purification system workshop. We felt like a well-oiled machine just two days in. Roy provided most of the step-by-step instructions while Rachael and I chimed in helping students requiring further assistance. Manuel translated and answered questions.The men seemed pleased with their handiwork and thanked us several times. After some water testing and a meeting with Guillermo, the village health worker, we were invited to Mr. Pukul's home for lunch with his family. Thomasa Pukul prepared eggs, stew beans and tortillas. Finally, we rode the horses back to Dolores, and drove Manuel home to Otoxha. 

3/21: Today was both productive and enjoyable. After breakfast, we stopped by a coffee shop in Punta Gorda to meet with the Health Chair of the Toledo District. Health officials are well aware that many communities need lasting solutions to the water crisis and they are continually prioritizing future projects. Mr. Vernon said that the government of Belize would welcome any assistance provided by Solea Water.

A mission group from Colorado had scheduled a sports day at San Francisco De Jeronimo school in Pueblo Viejo. I didn't think that we'd get a chance to see any of our little friends, but they were all at the school when we arrived. Mr. Sho, the principal, invited us to have lunch at his home. It was nice to see his wife Marta again and meet their newest addition, two-month-old Stephen Jr. We discussed possible solutions to the village's water crisis and how our mission team might begin to address solutions when we return in June. Rachael measured elevations for a possible well and tested water from the pump from which the children were drinking.

A small crowd of curious kids gathered around to watch and ask questions, giving Rachael an opportunity to remind them of the importance of drinking clean water. Joshua was intrigued by the water testing. I think we have found our future "Community Water Committee"! After meeting with Mr. Sho again to discuss his many ideas for improving the school and community, we returned to the lodge. Marcelia and Nestor Assi invited some of our close friends to their home for dinner. Nestor had asked Marcelia to prepare a very special caldo dinner for Mr. Roy. It was so nice to catch up with, Nestor, Marcelia, Dorla, Shantell, Romana and Oscar.

3/22: Francis and Elliot arrived at 7am to take us to the airport. I really don't mind the four hour drive to Belize City rolling through the scenic Maya Mountains dotted with thatch homes and hillside crops of bananas, corn and oranges. It's nice to kick back and reflect on the success of another unforgettable trip to Belize. 

(Adapted from Ann's original blog posts, found here.)

Billiken For Clean Water- Part II

January 6th--An anonymous donor matched my donations for 12 days and today, donated $500 to my campaign! There is no stopping me now.

January 11th--My mom and I walked four miles together over winter break, because that is the average distance people walk to get clean water. She got to see how difficult it is to have to carry a jerry can filled with water. 

January 12th--I ran into my friend who is fundraising for my water campaign. Go Kelsey!  She told me that have many people have come up to ask her why she is carrying a yellow jug and that she has gotten a lot of support. 

January 16th--I had a conundrum today after work: I thought I was going to be able to drive home, but found out I would have to bike. This meant that I would not be able to carry my jerry can with me, which made me really sad. But have no fear! The man at Mike's Bikes in Central West End told me not to worry. He provided me with a bike tire tube, which he strapped around my jerry can and backpack. Now, I will be able to carry my jerry can with me everywhere I go-even when I am biking. Needless to say, I am super pumped to bike now.

January 20th--My friend, Kendra, took a jerry can home with her over winter break and went hiking with it. Her dedication is very admirable and I am so proud of her! 

January 23rd--Solea Water just received three more jerry cans, which means three more people can fundraise for my campaign now! 

January 28th--I have been getting a lot more people to sign up to carry a jerry can. Hannah is a student ambassador and she took her jerry can with her while she was giving a tour. She is a rockstar supporter of my water campaign! 

February 2nd--These two are very compassionate about my water project and I am grateful to have them involved! Kara and Sophie are both walking a half marathon with me in April with jerry cans. 

February 9th--I am overwhelmed with joy to say that over $2,100 was raised today by St. Francis of Assisi School for my clean water campaign. Now, I am nearly $1,000 away from my goal of purchasing a windmill aqueduct for Solea Water to provide a village with clean water. This water campaign journey has been the biggest blessing in my life and I am very glad my old school could help with not only fundraising, but spreading awareness about the water crisis.

The students carried around cups to see what it felt like to have something with them at all times, just like I carry my jerry can everywhere I go and just like the many woman and children do who have to walk to get clean water.

February 10th-- I REACHED MY GOAL of $7,500 to purchase a windmill aqueduct for Solea Water!!!!!!!!

5 months and 5 days ago I started carrying a jerry can to spread awareness about the water crisis. Little did I know that this yellow container would change my life. I have found a passion for something that drives me to be my best self and something I want to dedicate the rest of my life to.

During this journey, I have felt the love from so many friends, family members, and strangers. I could not have done it without you all.

I hope that my experience can encourage others to take small steps to make big change. All I did was carry a jerry can to class one day. And now, a village in Panama is going to have clean water because of it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't. Because you can. I know you can!

Oh, and don't worry. This is not the end, only the beginning :) 

February 12th--I am very grateful for all of the water ambassadors who helped me to spread awareness about the water crisis and raise money to purchase a windmill aqueduct. I could not have done it without you!

A Jug Blog

by kendra patton

Walking 4 miles a day to retrieve fresh drinking water is a notion that is difficult to grasp if you are only reading about it. When you experience carrying 5 gallons of water 4 miles, it creates a much deeper impression. There are communities in Panama who don’t have access to clean drinking water and to get access in their villages is an expensive endeavor. My good friend, Hannah Vestal, is committed to raising $7,500 to purchase a windmill aqueduct for Solea’s Water for Panama. I recently took part in her Billiken for Clean Water campaign. I had an opportunity to help with the campaign while changing my life in the process.

Hannah inspired me through her motivation and desire to take on such an extensive project. Her strong commitment is most evident through her “Jerry Carry” effort. I would see her day after day carrying her yellow jerry jug around with her everywhere she went, and I just knew I wanted to help out. I started by personally donating, but that wasn’t enough for me. Since I am a college student, I really could not give as much as I wanted. I talked to Hannah about getting involved in the “Jerry Carry,” and volunteered to carry the jerry jug at home over our winter break. I did not realize carrying a jug around with me would draw so much attention and how much the task would impact me.

 The first and most obvious observation I made about carrying the jerry jug were the different looks people gave me.  At first I was very uncomfortable with all the looks, but eventually I decided to use them to my advantage. It was an excellent conversation starter that, at the very least, brought about awareness to the campaign.  I learned some people thought it was really neat, and some people were just confused about why I would carry the jug with me. I used both of the responses to motivate me to continue carrying the jerry jug.

The people I ran into either applauded me for the advocacy effort or told me I should be careful because the jug had “fuel” embossed on the side. I learned to label the jug a little better after that.  The priest at my local church was one of the people who started asking me about the campaign and truly appreciated my efforts. He was generous enough to donate $20 to the campaign!

 I soon learned money was only a small part of the campaign. My family took a trip up to Door County, Wisconsin for a few days, and I was really excited to take the jerry jug with me hiking through the woods! I ended up walking 6 miles with the jerry and finally understood what many people endure everyday to find clean drinking water for their families. After the hike, I felt like there was no stopping me now... at least that was until airport security.

I had such a wonderful experience over break carrying the jerry to Starbucks, Target, church, and on hikes. Even while waiting in the airport the campaign continued as my friend’s dad donated $20 to the jug. Then came airport security. I had very little trouble on the way home, besides a little joking from the flight attendant about the jug, so I figured this time would be a similar outcome.. I put the jug on the conveyer belt and the security officer started asking me questions about the jug. He was not very receptive to the campaign. At first I thought he was joking with me, but soon realized he was serious with his negative comments, and it really put me in a somber mood. Eventually, I boarded the plane and was finding a place for the jug, when Pamela started asking me about the jug. Pamela was a flight attendant, so I figured I would get a similar response like I received from the security officer in the airport. However, Pamela’s response was not the same by any means.  

I started sharing my story and information about the campaign, and she was very interested. She then proceeded to tell my friend, Kelsey, and me about a neighbor from back home who gave money to build wells in Africa. We all had a nice talk about how much we can all do to help. She even said she felt bad because she “Drank too much water today.” She then came back with $10 of her own money to add to the jug! I was so so happy. Pamela mentioned asking the pilots if she could walk up and down the aisle with the jug. Even though they said,” No,” because of policy, I was still so delighted with the effort Pamela had made.

When we were about to land, Pamela came to where I was sitting and asked for the jug. She took the jug and went to the front of the plane. Then, her voice came over the loudspeaker and announced to the whole plane that I was working on this campaign, and she encouraged everyone to donate to the jug as they exited the plane. I couldn’t believe it! Pamela was going above and beyond to help out. As people exited the plane, I stood by the jug and watched person after person donate to the jug. The pilots even gave me money! The people of Southwest Flight 3311 collected $60 that day to help Solea’s Water for Panama campaign. To say I was happy would be an understatement. Pamela’s kind words and actions reminded me that small acts of kindness go a long way. As I handed over my jug to the next person willing to take on the “Jerry Carry,” I smiled to myself remembering my wonderful experience.

Billiken for Clean Water Diary

by hannah vestal

Everyone deserves access to basic human rights, yet 783 million people in the world do not have the ability to get safe and clean water. This is roughly 1 in 9 of the world's population (The Water Project).

Many people, women and girls especially, bear the burden of walking miles at a time to gather water from ponds and streams that are full of water-born diseases that is making them and their families sick. This is robbing communities of their future (The Water Project).

I want to "walk" with the people who have to carry water jugs by carrying my own water jug all day every day.

My goal is to raise $7,500, which will go towards purchasing a windmill aqueduct for Water For Panama. This is a community level water system that both filters and purifies the water. How does it work? A centrally located windmill and water tank is constructed and pipelines carry clean water to tap stands between the residents homes. Then, the people do not have to carry water jugs like mine to get water!

September 5th—Today was my first day of many caring a water jug to classes. It has been a very humbling experience so far.

September 23rd—This morning, I had no motivation to carry the water jug to my classes. I walk a lot slower with it and my arms get sore. But then I thought of all of the people who do not get a choice. They HAVE to carry a water jug every day because they do not have access to clean water where they live. 

September 26th—It was a true blessing last night to surpass my goal of $500 for my campaign for clean water. But then I stopped and asked myself, "where to from here?"

I prayed to God about it and the answer was clear: keep going.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." ~Joshua 1:9

I am making a new goal for myself of raising $1000. 

September 26th—Day 1 of taking my jerry can with me ALL day has been a success so far. We got in a good workout together. 

October 10th—Guys, we did it! $1,000 was made as of last night for Water For Panama. I cannot thank my fellow Billikens, friends, and family enough for their support in my campaign to help end the water crisis. 

I cannot end now, though, because 1 in 9 people in the world are still struggling to obtain clean water and they need our help! 

I want to be able to purchase a windmill aqueduct system for my friend Rachael, so this brings me to my new goal…$7,500!!!

October 20th—Today, I walked four miles with my water jug. This is the average distance a person walks to get clean water. I cannot imagine having to do this every day. I was definitely sore by the time I was done. This makes me even more determined to buy the windmill aqueduct for Water For Panama. 

October 31st—I got to spread awareness about the water crisis dressed as my favorite character from Despicable Me. I think my water jug enjoyed being a minion for a day.

November 15th—One of my heroes, Fr. James Martin, SJ, supporting my water campaign.

November 24th—My friend George decided to carry one of my jerry cans to help me spread awareness about the water crisis! 

Second & Third Walks

BY KIRSTEN BRACKETT

For my second water walk, I walked down Pearl Street in Boulder, CO. Pearl Street is a lively place with blocks of shops, restaurants and street entertainers. I went on a Saturday afternoon, so there were tons of tourists and locals out enjoying their summer day.

My experience on Pearl Street was completely different than my experience at Washington Park. My parents, Katie and I all made signs to carry while I was walking. They said “1 in 8 lack access to clean water” and “Ask Me About Clean Water”

I wore two signs around my neck and my parents held the others while Katie handed out flyers. Katie also painted my jerry can to make me stand out even more!

This was a great success. People were answering the question on my sign and would applaud me as I walked by. Although I didn’t raise much money from this particular walk, I still feel like I made a difference. The first step of changing the world for the better is to spread awareness and put a scenario into someone’s head. Visually showing Americans what women all over the world have to do just to receive clean water is much more effective than just talking about the issue.

The walk was still very challenging, physically, and became even more of a challenge when people would walk slowly. If I wasn’t moving fast the water would begin to slosh around, causing me to lose my balance. 

The irony that was going on around me was amazing. All the consumption of food and people blowing money on expensive materialistic items, while the reality is people in our world can’t even afford water. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time gave me motivation to make a change. 

I completed another mile leaving me with a total of 2.7 miles completed. I felt much more accomplished after this walk because of all the awareness that I spread. 

My third walk was just around the block in my neighborhood, since I only had .9 mi left and I was getting ready to leave for school. Although not many people saw me, for those who did I am sure I left an image in their heads. This walk was extremely hard because the weather was so hot. I can’t even imagine having to walk everyday in heat worse than what it was in Denver. 

We are all guilty of having selfish habits, such as spending large amounts of money on something that we will probably just waste in a short period of time. Most likely we won’t even recycle it. Unfortunately, this is the culture we live in. Rather than changing your lifestyle completely, just try to be more aware about what you are doing. Open your eyes to what others are doing to help people. Find a way that you can sustainably make a difference in someone else’s life. We are never going to be in a perfect world, so we should at least focus on important factors of our future such as providing access to clean water to people around the world, which will then help women and children around the world receive an education, have a career, and enlighten our future. 

Join me in changing the lives of people in Panama today at www.crowdrise.com/walkthewalktotalkthetalk