December 19, 2003

By: Dustin Cyril
Website: http://www.water-purification-filters.com

New England Biolabs foundation commits $5,000 to Waterpartners project in Honduras

America has more pure water options than any country on Earth. Other parts of the world are not as fortunate, beset by the world’s biggest killer – water related disease. In keeping with its long-standing commitment to support grassroots organizations working with the environment and social change, the New England Biolabs Foundation has committed $5,000 to WaterPartners International to complete funding for a water and sanitation project in Honduras.

The goal of this project was to improve the health and quality of life of the rural community of Guacual, Honduras through the construction of a sustainable, potable water system; training in community-level participation and organization; installation of latrines; health and hygiene education; and protection of watersheds. This project also included training in financial management and maintenance of the system.

Before the water project, the families in Guacual struggled to meet their daily water needs. Often they walked 1 to 2 hours each day just to get water for cooking and drinking. The residents committed to pay some of the capital costs to build this system and all the fees to maintain it. There's only one thing that stood in their way—the remaining capital to build it. New England Biolabs Foundation stepped in to complete funding provided by WaterPartners’ individual and organizational donors.

The importance of the project can be seen in the time and effort the community members have put into completing the project. Community members each spent as many as 100 days laboring on the project – in addition to the work they must do as subsistence farmers. Because their hard work has paid off, the community members are inspired to do more. Bilma Rodriguez (31 years old) says his hope for the project is that “perhaps we can become involved in another project that will advance the community.”

Author Notes:

Dustin Cyril contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.water-purification-filters.com.  Get educated on the benefits of water purification systems and different water filters available.