“Great Joy for My Family!”

 

Elsa Marina Zelaya is a single mother who lives in the rural, underserved community of Nueva Esperanza de Capire, Honduras. With contaminated water chronically impacting the health and wellbeing of so many, her community has been in high need of a reliable safe water solution.


“My family’s situation has not been very favorable, due to the intake of contaminated water. My family suffers a lot from diseases, such as diarrhea, parasites, and stomach pain. We did not treat our water due to a lack of knowledge and economic resources. We did not have a latrine at our home, so we defecated outdoors or sometimes we went to the neighbor.

But in February 2021 the news reached our community that Pure Water for the World was going to be coming with a safe water program in our community!

It was of great joy for me and my family. We already knew about their projects, because they have previously worked in neighboring communities.

When they [PWW team members] hosted our first community meeting with local authorities, we knew the news we heard was true!  We received dates for the trainings that they would be giving to all of the families.

As a mother, I was so happy because I knew change was coming to our community!

When PWW gave us the [safe water, sanitation and hygiene] trainings, we were very happy to learn that our situation was going to improve. They taught us activities that we can do, ourselves, to improve our situation. And, they taught us that it is not necessary to have a lot of money to do it.

When PWW installed the BioSand Filter in my home, I felt as if I had had another child. That is how much we wanted it and how well we now take care of it. We now understand that if we take good care of our filter, our health will be better maintained. When Fredy (PWW’s health promoter) explained what we had to do to keep it working well, we felt that we could do it because it is not complicated.

Since we have had our hygiene education and filter, our diarrhea and our stomach pains have gone away. PWW also gave us medicine to remove the parasites in our bodies.

Now, when we visit our neighbors, we know that they also have quality water. We are not afraid to drink their water. But when we go to a place where there is no filter, we bring a bottle of water from our house to be safe!

Also, to end our sanitation pollution, we now have a latrine. With a lot of work and commitment, we managed to collect the necessary local materials. Now we have clean water AND a dignified, sanitary place to take care of our physiological needs.”

 


A special thank you to our friends at WesTech for funding the safe water and sanitation program in Elsa’s community!

Your support transforms lives and provides the foundation for lasting health, hope and opportunity.