Volunteer Point of View on The Environment and Water Program
Three days after landing at the airport, I found
myself in a truck driving through the beautiful mountains of El Salvador, sat
next to Don Luis (my new program director) trying my hardest to communicate in
broken Spanish about El Programa de Agua Limpia y Medio Ambiente. We were on
our way to my first job in Apastepeque, apparently where they take all the
volunteers on their first day for an easy introduction.
This is where I got to grips with the program. We visited a small school in Apastepeque with a water purifier in an outhouse in the courtyard. After opening it up, you can see its three components, a cartridge to remove physical dirt, a UV filter to kill any remaining bacteria or pathogens, and a digital calendar counting down the days for its next checkup. It connects to the pipes and flows out clean through the taps of the school. This is a water purifier – an incredible 40 communities have received a water purifier from CIS.
Throughout my 10 weeks here, we spent lots of days
traveling around the country in the truck checking the purifiers were in good
condition, and Don Luis trained me on what to look for and how to fix them. I
got to know a lot of different communities this way, meeting wonderful people in
every town. Don Luis, knowing my inner tourist would appreciate it, would often
take us to lunch in some of the most beautiful towns on the way home, my
favorite being Suchitoto.
Household water filters.
As well as the water purifiers, we also provide water filters; a system of two buckets that filters water for households in rural communities. Given the scale needed to reach as many households as possible, Don Luis works with teams of students at different communities across El Salvador. The students hold regular workshops in the community demonstrating how to use the water filters and explaining why they are important for health and sanitation, a vital educational element to the program. I was lucky enough to attend a few of these workshops and get to know the students in San Pedro Perulapán and San Rafael Cedros. It was so motivating seeing young people taking on leadership roles and taking action for clean water in their hometowns.
One of the things that continues to blow me away about El Salvador is just how kind the people are. I was fortunate enough to visit a town called Tonacatepeche to check their water purifier. In the town, they make the indigo paint known as añil, commonly used for artisanal clothing that you will see everywhere in the country. After we had finished, they were generous enough to show me around the farm where they grew the plant that produces the añil pigment, and the skilled process of oxidization that turns the leaves blue over time. Later it is dried out and ground down by hand to produce the fine indigo powder.
Overall, I have had an incredible experience working
on the water program with CIS. I have learnt so much about the water issues
facing the country, the causes of pollution, and most importantly some of the
solutions adopted by local communities. I couldn’t recommend a more valuable
way of seeing all corners of El Salvador and getting to know the amazing
Salvadoran people.
By Zara
Holden.
