Clean Water for Rural Honduras

Dear GlobalGiving supporters,

My name is Víctor Daniel Escobar, and I am the Project Technician for EcoLogic’s work in Honduras with the Alliance of Municipalities of Atlántida (MAMUCA). I’m so proud to work every day in support of my community, for their improved lives and for the environment. I am grateful to you for making this work possible.

One component of our work to ensure better water quality for our communities is building gray water drains or dry wells. Dry wells reduce runoff flow and help recharge groundwater. In these villages gray water from doing dishes, laundry, or bathing typically runs off on the surface and ends up in streams--polluting water sources. Or it pools on the surface, creating breeding sites for mosquitoes. The dry well is a simple structure designed to allow water to soak away below ground level, into a stone-lined pit. In 2018 we were able to build 40 dry wells and our goal is to build 100 more in 2019.

I will continue to work each day to work with and empower these communities to fight for their livelihoods, their forests, and their access to water. I hope you will join me and continue to support this critical project--your support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Victor Daniel Escobar

Project Technician, MAMUCA, Honduras

Dear GlobalGiving supporters,

My name is Basilio Martínez, and I am the Project Technician for EcoLogic’s work in Honduras with the Association of Water Councils of the Southern Sector of Pico Bonito (AJAASSPIB). I am so proud to work every day in support of my community, for their improved lives and for the environment. I am grateful to you for making this work possible. In 2018, with your support we have:

• Constructed 40 gray water drains for improved wastewater disposal in communities where household waste water runs off on the surface and pools, creating pollution as well as mosquito breeding sites.
• Installed 75 fuel-efficient stoves in local communities, to reduce firewood consumption and deforestation, which negatively impacts watersheds.
• Worked with 226 agricultural producers to establish 4.3 hectares of agroforestry plots, replacing slash-and-burn agriculture with more sustainable farming practices.
• Hosted a learning exchange in November in collaboration with the Inga Foundation to share experiences with Inga edulis alley cropping in Honduras and Guatemala and provide first-hand exposure to 35 interested farmers to its benefits.
• Facilitated 16 workshops covering topics such as low-impact agricultural methods, landscape-level conservation, and cultural practices.

I also wanted to share some of the ongoing challenges we face. This year, one of the communities where I work has had significant problems with the illegal construction of a logging road close to the river that is their water source. In the beginning, the builders deceived the communities saying that they would build the road so that the environmental impact would be minimal. When construction started they reached a point where there was rock and they decided to blast it--without permits. The rubble went into the river that supplies drinking water to the Community of Tejeras. When the first rains fell the river was blocked by debris and the water was completely contaminated with soil and sediment.

To reduce this impact, AJAASSPIB and the Community of Tejeras began to build filters and stabilize the debris with dead barriers. The road builders ignored the call to stabilize the slopes and mitigate the impact of the rubble, so the community began to put up resistance until they stopped building the road...for now.

I will continue to work each day to work with and empower these communities to fight for their rights, their livelihoods, their forests, and their access to water. I hope you will join me and continue to support this critical project--your support makes a huge difference.

In solidarity,

Basilio “Chilo” Martinez

Project Technician, AJAASSPIB, Honduras