One thing (among many) that I love about Etta Projects is that we are a Bolivian organization, almost completely run by Bolivians. My Bolivian coworkers really take a lot of pride in this and are quick to correct anyone who says otherwise. It is so important to me to work for an organization that incorporates the input and opinions of local people. It makes no sense to come into a country as knight is shining armor, pretending to know what these people need and want, when you have never experienced what their daily life is like.
Anyway, I said all that to say that whenever I go out to survey people, I try to have a local health promoter go with me. This helps with many aspects of the work that I do here, but also leaves the people someone in the community with a connection to Etta once I go home. Plus, I honestly need the help!
My promoter for the water filter project was Dona Victoria and our goal was to visit at least five families in the town, El Rodeo. I was disappointed that the first few families were not using their water filters at all because the handle on the faucets were broken or the bucket portion of the filter was cracked.
To be completely honest, sometimes I have a hard time not judging some of these families. I know that life in el campo is hard but some families take better care of their belongings and children than others. Mirna (the secretary here and my Bolivian mother) says "es un problema de caracter" -a problem of character.
One family in particular was living in horrible conditions. There were dogs, and garbage all over -even chickens in the beds! The children were half naked with snotty noses and the baby's eyes were caked with dirt and flies. This family's water filter was completely disassembled and the mother of the family didn't seem like she cared about anything. It's not my place to judge -I don't know what her life is like or how she grew up but I do pity her children. And really, I pity her as well because you must have been through hell to be that defeated. Sometimes I think what people need is hope, and that doesn't come out of a water filter. Although I could say a few things about the Living Water.
It was at this house that one of the family's dogs jumped out and bit Mirna (who went with me).
I was ready to hit the dog over the head but Mirna just shrugged and said, "It's a good thing I'm wearing jeans!" And everyone else acted like nothing happened! I. Was. In. Shock. But I'm always trying to be culturally aware so I tried to hide my horror over what happened. And I think I failed.
Despite families like this one, there were some families that were still using their filters, which is pretty good considering that they received them over a year and a half ago. One family in particular was just the cutest. The young mother was so proud of her water filter, even pouring us a glass so we could try the water. She raved and raved about both her filter and her new bathroom. It was really encouraging! Hopefully, her little boy will grow up healthy and with better opportunities! With the right tools -and enough hope- I know that all the families in el campo could have these results!
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