Los Magueyes & La Palma Sunday, April 14, 2013

Today I went to visit the 16 completed cisterns and document their completion via photographs. 

Lilia and her husband, Antonio, took me from house to house and it was a pleasure to spend the morning with them.

I was surprised to find several cisterns had been specially decorated to recognize the important role of Rotary, Cedesa (our community development partner) and Cocira (the regional citizen's council that has been formed by the 22 communities that now have rainwater harvesting projects + 2 other communities). 

This project has been very enjoyable thus far, but to have an opportunity to talk with each individual family about the process and their experience, really drove home to me the way these projects can change lives and change communities. 

Every family was rightfully proud of the work they had done and there were many jokes about which of the three work teams was the best. On Friday, April 19, many members of our club and their guests will attend the community sponsored inaugural celebration.

Here is one of the cleverest “thank you” designs I encountered painted on a cistern yesterday:

Submitted by Lee Carter

Assembly in Viviendilla Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9 am

15 people attended a pre-construction meeting in Viviendilla this morning. 

Saul Juarez (Cedesa) led the meeting. The two teachers from the school were in attendance. 

Of those in attendance only Eric and Deyenira were aware of the fluoride problems with the community’s water supply. It is surprising to find people who are not aware of this after having completed rainwater catchment projects in adjacent villages. 

In addition to this problem, the people wanted to talk about the other problems in the area which included sanitation issues and dumping raw sewage in the Rio Laja that passes beside this village. 

There was also a discussion about an illegal well recently drilled across the river in La Cieneguita … the well was drilled using a permit from the town of Acambaro more than two hours south of San Miguel. This illegal well is causing the spring in the Cieneguita to dry up. 

This spring has played a role in the Otomi (?) ceremonies for several centuries. This is representative of the illegal activities that are draining our aquifer and exacerbating the problems of fluoride and arsenic in our water.

After a discussion of all of these issues and the futility of individuals trying to stop this destruction of their water sources, Saul discussed Cocira, the regional Citizen's council. Everyone understood how working together there would be a better chance, through a strong single voice, to petition for the rights of all of the Communities belonging to Cocira. 

I hope that this community will join Cocira and attend the next meetings.

It was decided that materials would be delivered to a home adjacent to the school on Saturday, April 13. All parents in attendance will report on Monday morning at 9 am to begin work. Saul will come also to explain the construction process and get the cistern off to a good start. 

There is some sand and gravel left at the school from previous construction. If we can use that to reduce that expense, we may be able to pay Saul to go to the school once or twice to make presentations about water and sanitation issues to the students and, of equal importance, the teachers.

A list of tools needed for Monday morning was made and each individual made a promise to bring specific items. Deyenira Ramirez agreed to make the Monday lunch for everyone. With everyone is agreement the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am.

Lee Carter San Miguel Midday Rotary

Statistics Update as at 1st April 2013

A BIG THANK YOU to all the hardworking men & women belonging to the Rotary Clubs & Districts & the Foundation who have been part of this solution:

Ann Arbor RC USA

Baton Rouge Capital City RC USA
Bellingham RC USA

Calgary RC Canada
Middletown RC USA

New Braumfels RC USA

Paso Robles RC USA

Port Lavaca RC USA

Richmond RC TX USA

Sechelt BC RC Canada

Tallahassee RC USA
Trail BC RC Canada
Tyron RC USA
West U RC TX USA
San Miguel Midday RC Mexico
Districts 4160, 6060, 6200, 6940, 7670, 7980

& THE ROTARY FOUNDATION (Ashley & Lauren)

HUGE THANK YOU’s to:

Cedesa, (especially Holly, Chela, Saul – The TEAM!!), & our family members who put up with long, late hours…

Sapasma (Camilo, Waldo, Alva, Juan Jose & the other promoters)

Fondo Verde

Alberta Govt’s Community Initiative Program (BC Canada)

The many private donors/supporters

Our Suppliers, especially Raul from Hierro Comercial Dolores Hidalgo, Eric our Herreria & his boys, Jesus our sand guy, Madera Providencia, Cemex, Talego, Don Pedro,

Our Banks: Frost Bank, Bancomer, Monex, Intercam, CI banco,

Our accountant (wish we had her in the early days) : Liliana

Our publicity: Atencion!,

Members & Board of San Miguel Midday, for continuing support, attending Inaugurations, making speeches on behalf of the project, attending meetings with govt, fundraising!

Lee Carter: answering all the tricky finance questions in the past & leading the new team Denis & Alex for the new Projects.

 &

MASSIVE THANKS to the men, women & children in all of the participating communities – for showing us your strength, courage & commitment to improving the lives of yourselves & future generations - living with such dignity under incredible hardship.

Numbers:

605 Cisterns

21 Communities

Ie 4000+ family members (+ other school & kinder children)

Total Funding Summarised

Rotary US$239,588    (including direct grant private donations)

SMCF US$10614

Sapasma mxn$870399 (ie approx. US$67000)

Fondo Verde mxn$150,000(ie approx. US$11,500) + US$21,850
Other donations US$1000

(total approx. US$351,552)

1st New Team Project - Completed May 2013 18 Cisterns

Summary of Funding
Chinook Rotary Direct Grant $5000 , 
Rotary of Middletown Direct Grant $3021  
District 7980 District simplified Grant  $2320
Rotary San Miguel Midday $200 
(total USD$10,541)

Los Magueyes 8 cisterns
La Palma 8 cisterns
Viviendilla 2 Cisterns (1 at school, 1 demonstration cistern at factory)

Completed May-Jun 2012 11 Cisterns

Summary of Funding

San Miguel Community Fund $5911

Tierra Blanca 11 cisterns

Completed Jan-May 2012 169 cisterns in 8 Communities

Summary of Funding

Global Grant Rotary $65,300

Direct grants & donations $21,147 breakdown as follows:

Tallahassee US$10k club & $2.5k private donation
Port Lavaca  US$6k
Peggy Purcel US$462.45
Pancake breakfast fundraiser $14950pesos
Excess funds from Port Lavaca/New braumfels proj. $11420pesos
Excess funds from Cap II proj. $487pesos
Excess funds from Bellingham water proj. $1163.5 pesos
private donation $250pesos

La Tinaja 22 cisterns

Cruz del Palmar 41 Cisterns

Guerrero 20 Cisterns

Tres Esquinas 24 Cisterns

Tierra Blanca 23 Cisterns

Corralejos 15 Cisterns

Vivienda de Arriba 10 Cisterns

Los Torres 14 Cisterns

Completed Nov 2011-Jan2012 60 cisterns in 5 communities

Summary of Funding

Sapasma mxn$435399

Chris Hosford private donor US$500

Los Torres 18 cisterns (Phase IV in this community)

Presita de Santa Rosa 21 Cisterns (Pilot paid for by private donation - thankyou Chris Hosford, 20 cisterns funded by Sapasma)

Cienega Juana Ruiz 18 Cisterns (Phase II in this community)

Lomas de Cocina 2 Cisterns

Cinco Senores 1 Cistern 
(**)

Completed March – Jun 2011 134 cisterns in 6 communities

Summary of funding

Rotary $44,000

Fondo Verde mxn$150,000

Sapasma mxn$435,000

Tierra Blanca 28
Juan Gonzalez 22
funded by Global Grant from Baton Rouge Capitol City RC & District 6200 US$33,500

(completed June 2011)

Tierra Blanca 14 - direct grant donation from New Braumfels RC $2k, & Port Lavaca RC $7k

(completed June 2011)

San Lorenzo 4
Cinco Senores 11 (incl pilot in JG)
Fondo Verde Mxn$150k

(Completed June 2011)

Villa de Guadalupe 27
Cienega Juana Ruiz 26
Sapasma mxn$435k

(completed June 2011)

Villa Pilot x1
Cienega Pilot x 1 
Bellingham RC US$1500

(completed June 2011)

Completed Jan 2011 – March 2011 25 cisterns

Summary Funding

DSG Tallahassee $3800,Tallahassee RC$6000,Walla Walla $7000

Vivienda Urbana (Cap II) 25 cisterns

Completed Jan 2009 – Jan 2011 Total 188 cisterns in 6 communities.

Summary Funding
Rotary$81,800
SMCF$4,703
Fondo Verde$21,850
Skymed $500
total funding = USD $108,853

Palencia 21 Cisterns $7k (+ balance of excess from other projects)

Capaderillo 40 Cisterns FV US$21850

Cruz del Palmar 28 Cisterns combined $24700

Vivienda de Arriba 17 Cisterns

Montecillo de Nieto 30 Cisterns $16700

Los Torres 52 Cisterns (27+4+17+1+3) Including $21,700 + 12,200+smcf US$2468+ smcf 2 U$2235  

= 188 cisterns (& 4 rotoplas tanks)

Middletown goes to Magueyes

Our visit started at the home of Senora Lilia, whose initiative led to the current project at Los Magueyes and La Palma. 

Our group consisted of Rotarians from San Miguel and Connecticut in the US, as well as Unitarian-Universalists from San Miguel.  We were warmly greeted, in spite of the fact that we were interrupting an active phase of the cistern construction at Senora Lilia’s house.  

One work group was busy putting concrete on the inner and outer walls of the cistern there, while another group was doing the same around the corner.  Nearby we saw a cistern which was completed except for the final sealing with a mixture of lime and nopal extract, an extremely effective and low cost method we learned.

Saul and Holly from CEDESA, along with Senora Lilia, gave us a very comprehensive summary of the process of a water harvesting project, from the initial community meetings to the maintenance carried out by the families in the years following construction.  

We were very impressed by the central role played by the local residents themselves, who are responsible for every key decision along the way, for the construction itself, and for the ongoing maintenance.  

The pride of ownership and the certainty of sustainability were very evident. 

What was also evident was that this was likely to be just one step in a much larger process of this community working together to better itself.  

The first part of our visit ended with a delicious meal prepared by Senora Lilia and her helpers, and enjoyed by everybody, including those of us visiting and the adults and children of the families involved in this incredibly worthwhile project.

After lunch we crossed the highway to visit the completed pilot cistern at the home of Dona Beatriz.  There we learned a lot more about the water problems in the state of Guanajuato, where the depletion of the aquifer has led to increased concentrations of fluoride and other harmful chemicals.  We learned about the potential health effects of these chemical concentrations, especially for children, and we saw in Senora Lilia how increased awareness is being translated into community action.  

The cistern at Dona Beatriz’s house was ready to be filled by the summer rains, which we learned will support a family of 14 until the next rainy season.  

As we left we could not help but to be amazed by how much good will come from such a modest level of financial support.

Howard Reid, Rotary Club of Middletown CT. Saturday, March 16, 2013

Howard  & Melanie (Middletown Rotary), Senora Lilia & Lee (SMA Midday Rotary)

Pilot Cistern – Los Magueyes – Day 3

We arrived around 8:30 this morning and I was surprised by how much work had been accomplished in just a few days. 

Yesterday, the first layer of concrete was put on the "wall" of the cistern. 

Today about 15 persons arrived sharply at 9 am, the technical representative from Cedesa and 14 workers, most women. 

watched as they sift sand and start dumping wheelbarrows of sand on the ground. Next they carried over 5 bags of cement and dumped that on top of the sand. That was mixed up and formed into a small volcano. Buckets of water started arriving & were poured into the volcano. 

We were mystified to know how they knew just when the right amount of water was deposited. They, (about four women with shovels), mixed it up and they were exactly right … no extra water had to be added.

Meanwhile the plywood sheets were removed from the inside of the cistern cylinder … concrete was passed over the top to the workers inside and then began a flurry of activity both inside and out. 

Final result: two new layers of concrete and a finished cylinder. Tomorrow the cone shaped roof will go on and the pilot cistern is on schedule and will be finished on Friday.

Each work group intends to immediately begin on the fifteen more cisterns. Materials are expected to be delivered to each family’s home on Friday.

Lee Carter

Los Magueyes Pilot day 1

“A lot of enthusiasm on the first day. The wire was unrolled and the foreman Miguel quickly had the volunteers stitching the layers together. I was impressed at how many men turned up. While the large group composed of men and women worked on the wire, 3 men dug out the space for the cement slab. The gravel was delivered for the base as well as the sand for the concrete. Next a truck arrived and transferred sufficient water for mixing the concrete. Three women busied themselves in Beatrizes house getting lunch ready and preparing cool drinks for the workers. I would say they are all very enthusiastic and committed. If the 3ply arrives...today as promised, it will have been a very successful first day on the pilot cistern.... Harvesting water is fun and very rewarding..“ Denis Beaudry, Rotary San Miguel Midday.18 February 2013

Photo 1 The Materials arriving on the Pilot Site, home of Dona Beatriz

 Photo2 The Devil is in the details … stitching together the chicken wire and structural wire

Photo3 Things go fast with so many helpers

Photo 4Preparing the pad – 12,000 liters weighs a lot

Photo 5 Step One: tie the chicken wire together

 Photo 6 Jesus Rico has delivered the sand and gravel

2nd Los Magueyes Community Mtg - We are Funded

We are funded! Thank you to Middletown Rotary Club and District 7980 who provided matching funds. Thank you to Chinook Rotary Club of Calgary, Canada.

On Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2013), the pre-construction organizational meeting was held at Las Magueyes. In attendance were 17 women, 7 men and 2 children of the Las Magueyes and La Palma communities. The hard work of community development continued. Saul and Holly of CEDESA were there and Saul began the meeting by greeting all and recognizing San Miguel Midday Rotary members who were in attendance. Steve and Jim, members of the Walla Walla, Washington Rotary Club came with Denis and me. They have already made a down payment to be contributing members of our next water harvesting project.

The first order of business in developing a community is to guide the community members in learning how to run a meeting. Saul teaches this brilliantly and with much patience. To begin, a meeting leader and secretary were elected. The community leader then began to develop the agenda for the day and reviewing the meeting notes from the last meeting.  Each member of the community participated by proposing a list of things to be discussed and decided before the next step, building the pilot cistern, begins. Early in the meeting it was determined that three families who had indicated a desire to have a cistern had not attended pre-construction meetings and they had not shown the necessary intent required to earn a cistern. After discussion amongst all of the community members, they decided that only the 16 families that had done the work to deserve a cistern would be included in the project. Alas, the project is now cut back to 16 cisterns. We are overfunded!

It is an appropriate decision to decide to only do 16 of the potential 19 cisterns in this case. Persons/Families truly must earn their cisterns through attending meetings and demonstrating responsibility and willingness to do the work. There is significant time required for construction and teams must believe that all participants will be there to do the work, not only for their own cistern but also for the cisterns for every other family represented on their work teams. I will now discuss what to do with our international partners. I hope they will agree to apply the excess funds to the next project. We already have a list of other communities with dire need for safe and potable drinking water.

Rotary as a mechanism to bring water to poorer marginalized communities has become recognized by the rural communities of the San Miguel Municipality. At this meeting, five persons representing the community of Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca came to request that we help them. This is one of the poorest communities in our region and they have no water whatsoever. For many months of the year, they have to take burros miles away to collect water and return it to their community. The representatives of Pena Blanca appealed to us to come visit them and see for ourselves the difficulties they are facing. We will do that and we will support their efforts to obtain a constant water source by encouraging them to become active participants in COCIRA and earning their position in our list of those who have the gravest needs. Their story was a heart wrenching one.

The Meeting Leader of the day (with the soft coaching from Saul) formed three work teams to work together to complete their cisterns. They decided to build a pilot cistern next week at the home of Dona Beatriz. Members from all of the work teams will be there Monday to Friday to build this cistern under the technical guidance of a CEDESA promoter. Rotary will be visiting each day to document the progress and observe the process. Once the pilot cistern is finished, the work groups will build the final fifteen cisterns to complete this project.

It was greatly gratifying to see the process take place and watch as life changing resources are being brought to these communities through Rotary.