Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Shocking Visit to Somoto




Last week, I visited Totogalpa in Somoto, where a water well, donated by Life Outreach International (LOI), was installed by ANF last year. We spoke to some of the members of the community who benefit from the well, and we were able to see the happiness and different, improved lifestyle they now have thanks to this donation.

Previous to the existence of this well, the families of Totogalpa began a trek of two or three miles at 3:00 a.m. to reach a water source, only to find a line of 50 others also waiting their turn to collect the filthy, diseased water. Part of the contamination of that water source came from dead bats!

Two residents of the community, Elena Ruiz and Juan Antonio Perez, shared with us the fact that they used to have to send their children to school without bathing them. Instead, they would simply rub a damp towel over them to clean them as best they could.

Today, with a water well only steps from their homes, they are not only able to bathe their kids before going to school, but they are also able to access as much water as they need to water their plants and grow fruits and vegetables in their backyards. This is the case for the more than 40 families that are being benefited by this water well. It is amazing to see the positivism they now have in life after seeing that people cared about their situation and took steps to help them overcome it. People in the community were infinitely grateful for ANF's help in making a difference to their everyday lives.