Welcome to Honduras, or the depths. Columbus wasn't a fan. Not surprising after checking this week's forecast. Rain every day. True it is rainy season, but its the best time for the assessment to understand the most stress that the drainage system we want to implement will face.
So here it is. . .a really dry summary of the project. I’d give you better, but being as we're leaving in 4 hours. . .
“The community of Guadalupe Carney,
The site assessment will locate where the drainage problems are and develop a plan for the village. It will require a combination of structures, such as cement slabs that water flows over, culverts with headers, and box bridges. There are many streams, creeks, and run-off ditches throughout the village. When roads and walking paths are constructed, it is done during the dry season, and little thought is given to drainage. When rains come, stagnant water builds up above the roads and paths.”
The exciting part of the trip?We know nothing.
From a goal-setting perspective, you pretty much can't screw things up. We've planned and proposed, but once we go down, all of the maps, photos, graphs, and relayed information are out, and now we get to be in the community. This trip, hopefully, is the springboard for a 4 to 5 year project.
With a differing background in public health, my interest in this trip is steered toward the community members and the health system (or lack of ). For four days we will be talking with the community and learning as much as we possibly can from what areas are most important for drainage to their understanding of disease and transmission. Bethany, Teddy, Jaci, Carla, Alex, and Patrick will be talking with villagers, and assessing and surveying the land to plan out priority areas . Engineers without Borders provides a mandatory health assessment as a guide for making sure that we are in touch with the community.I’m bringing outside questions specifically about the water and its role in the community, to submit a 250 word abstract to submit to the upcoming American Public Health Association conference in November, which this year treats the theme “Public Health and Water.” Really, the point of the survey is to understand how the community treats health. What does it mean to be healthy. Who treats the sick. Where do they think that this disease comes from and how do they work to prevent it. Who controls the water, where the system runs, where waste ends up, the average water use per family. . .these are all things we know nothing about.
Anyways, off to pack.
Hasta nos vemos :)
