The state of the project
This water project services a community of 5000 in the foothills of the Yoro Mountains In Honduras. The name of the community means “hidden Maya” and was so named because the town is built among the ancient Mayan ruins at the foot of the mountains. Their water supply is irretrievably polluted, their only source of water being ground water that is coursing through the cattle and hog farms to the village on its way to the nearby Caribbean Sea. Their poor-at-best infrastructure was decimated by hurricane Mitch in 1999. Many homes were destroyed and lives lost. A group of my friends began the Guacamaya project by helping build concrete block homes in 2001. The next year I went with them. I am an optometrist and the only Rotarian in the bunch. We returned with eye care and medical care (we had two nurses on the trip) teams, as well as manual labor helpers. We have returned every year with an ever expanding delivery system. The last two years we were joined by an MD from our town and a more complete nursing staff and pharmacy help. We have now built a clinic and are working to get it manned by more medical mission teams as well as local physician and nursing help.
We actually started this water project several years ago, after seeing unbridled water-borne illnesses and parasitism, especially in the children. A local committee of citizens of the community has handled the land use issues. The engineering has been done and oversight for the project has been set up. Bids have been done and re-done. Final drawings are finally done. Volunteer labor from the community has been arranged. A Rotary Club in El Progreso has been contacted, and will act as our Club on sight. This is one huge complicated project, but we are now ready to get the final funding in order. The original project has grown in size and in cost, naturally. The original project was a heart-stopping $90,000 US, and now has grown (not inflationary, but in necessary additions) to Phase I (getting clean water from the top of the mountain to a cistern in the village) at $106,000 and Phase II (dispensing the water and training the populace) at $40,000. Phase one funding from individual clubs is now complete, with six different Rotary Clubs participating. The Kelso club kicked in the last $1600 to add to their original commitment. The application for RI monies is now at district 5020 and then will be sent to International if funded at district. Phase II (around $13,000 in local club money) needs to be funded, and we are now raising that money in anticipation of the approval of Phase 1 by RI.
The water will be piped from the top of the mountain, several thousand feet up and several miles away. We have had a Kelso Rotarian, Marshall Thomson, be the go-to guy on this phase of the project. He has several Central American water projects under his belt, and yes, thank goodness for an expert in something I know very little about. He and Don Olsen, President last year of the Kelso Club, made a reconnoitering trip to Guacamaya last year and both have been instrumental in moving this project forward. I just returned, and the local water committee is very excited, to say the least, about the prospect of clean water. They anxiously await our reply on Rotary funding for this worthwhile, and yes, complicated and expensive project.
My contact email is totack@msn.com and my home phone is 360-636-2138. If your club is looking for a great international project with great impact and very little nuts and bolts work, this is a fine opportunity for you and your club.
In Rotary Service,
Terry Tack
Longview Early Edition Rotary
District 5020
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