We Teach You How to Fish
Our January 2014 trip to Honduras included a visit to the Chimisal projects, three water systems completed in 2010 that serve four communities total – Tierra Colorada, Plan de Gallinero, San Antonio, and La Loma. We met with representatives of the four communities currently served by the water system, as well as fifth community that would like to hook up to the water system serving San Antonio and La Loma. We hope to be able to support that community, San Sebastian, with a connection in 2014.
The three water systems in Chimisal are all functioning well and users are very happy with the service they continue to provide all day, every day. San Antonio teacher Lilian Rivera said her community water board meets monthly and everyone in the community is consistently paying their monthly water tariff.
Juan Antonio (who we call “Juancito”), a long-time community organization for our partner organization, COCEPRADIL, shared with the community members, “Our philosophy as an organization is to teach you how to fish. We won’t do this project for you; we’ll will work with you so that this project is yours. Every problem we face in life is an opportunity to learn. There is always a solution to a problem. If we work hard, side by side, and work together as one, this project will happen.”