In 2020, two back-to-back hurricanes ravaged communities across Trojes, including El Onal, tearing down homes and destroying water systems. We’ve spent the past two years helping communities recover from this devastating natural disaster.
Clarke Cares along with generous donors stepped in to fund a much-needed WASH program that has empowered the families in El Onal, including those featured in this blog, with reliable access to safe water and sanitation.
Doña Martina Herrera is a single mother who lives in El Onal with her three children. She recently worked with our team to construct a latrine at their home (pictured right).
“When the latrine project arrived in my community, my motivation was enormous, knowing that we would have better, safer conditions for my family.”
When we implement a home latrine project in Honduras, each family plays a significant role. Our team provides detailed instructions, necessary materials, and oversight, while the family assumes the primary responsibility for site preparation and latrine construction. This ensures the families gain hands-on experience with proper latrine construction for future reference. We frequently hear stories from families whose children have grown up and built their own homes. The families are able to use their acquired knowledge to construct a latrine at the new home. This valuable knowledge can then be passed along to future generations.
With pride, Doña Martina worked very hard constructing her family’s latrine. She transported heavy materials on her back, including cement and sand bags, since the roads are not in good condition and there is no access for a vehicle. But her motivation was so great that Doña Martina did not mind carrying the heavy loads the 100-meter distance to her home from where the materials were able to be dropped off. She felt confident it would be worth the hard work.
With her family’s new latrine completed, Doña Martina is very happy. She is already seeing improvement in the health of her children and is extremely grateful.
Alex Leonardo López Barahona, 33, (pictured) is a community leader in El Onal.
“I would like to share my gratitude with Pure Water for the World for the wonderful project that came to our community. I feel much joy in knowing my neighbors and entire community will benefit from safe water and sanitation.”
Alex worked closely with the PWW team and fellow community members to bring WASH to his community, taking an active role in the implementation process. He told the PWW team that the impact of safe water and sanitation is already bringing results to the people of his community. “The people of our community, who have fought many diseases and suffered from contaminated water and open defecation, are now saying ‘my family has a better life!’ Thank you!”
Below are photos of some of the families of El Onal:
