Closing Ceremony Vivienda de Abajo

Yesterday we celebrated the completion of 10 cisterns in Vivienda de Abajo. Nine cisterns were in family homes and one was at the secondary school. This is the last cistern that we plan to build in a public space until we have a program in place to ensure maintenance and proper use. The development process for building a “public” cistern that must be maintained by a group or committee is very different than the process of building privately owned cisterns.

Attending were 15 families from Vivienda that are still participating in COCIRA. These persons are involved in other CEDESA promoted projects such as backyard gardening, health clinics & home health training, and bee keeping. Overall there were about 40 persons in attendance and a wonderful lunch (especially wonderful green mole) was served. 

New members to COCIRA seeking Rotary resources were in attendance from Nombre de Dios, San Lorenzo, Boca de Canada and Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca.

Chela, Mayra, Saul and Mago were representing CEDESA. Lee Carter was there from Rotary San Miguel Midday. As this was Saul’s last official day as a CEDESA promotor, he cut the inaugural ribbon.

It is interesting to see how some projects go better than others, but I still am not sure how to predict a project’s outcome. This project is one of the best we have had during this grant. All of the cisterns are well constructed, connected and in good service. On the other hand, we still need to go back and do remedial work on about one-half of the cisterns in Banda. I will be talking with CEDESA about sending a technical representative to Banda in the next several weeks to finish up that project so that we finish there with 100% of the collection systems functional and collecting the summer rains. We have determined that having a good and responsible albanil (experienced construction worker) as a part of the work group is very important.

Submitted by Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday

COCIRA MEETING

June 4, 2015 – Presa Allende

COCIRA (Consejo Ciudadano Rural de Agua  - the regional water council for San Miguel de Allende), met today in the community building at Presa Allende. There were approximately 60 of us plus a “big-ole-bunch” of kids to start the meeting to at 10 am. By the time we finished at 3:30 pm, after a nice lunch hosted by Presa Allende, that group had grown to about 75 and many more kids. Meetings always seem to grow to the max just before we break for lunch.

Communities in attendance were: Alonso Yañez, Lindero, La Ciénega, Juan Gonzalez, Montecillo de Nieto, Boca de Canadá, Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca, Tierra Blanca, La Banda, Vivienda Abajo, San Lorenzo, Presa Allende, and Correlejos. Also in attendance was Lee Carter from Rotary San Miguel and Chela, Saul, Mayra, Mago and Carolina from CEDESA.

The order of the day was set to discuss:

1.       Water Issues in General

2.       Closing Celebrations for Vivienda, Alonso Yanez and Lindero

3.       Communities in waiting: Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca (14), Nombre de Dios (6), Boca de Canada (more than 35), and San Lorenzo (2).

4.       Anniversary Celebration at CEDESA on June 19 and 20 to celebrate 50 years of service to the communities!

5.       Review a video about the Sierra Norte de Puebla about community actions taken by the indigenous people of that region to stop strip mining, fracking and the construction of hydro-electric dams.

6.        Present the new Consejo of COCIRA (governing board)

7.       Discuss health issues and CEDESA programs to provide training in interested communities.

The future work schedule is heavy with a number of meetings and events planned:

1.       June 13, 11 am, Lee to deliver cistern and community photos for the 50^th Anniversary amparo to Mayra at Presa Allende Church.

2.       June 16, COCIRA counsel and Lee to go to Alonso Yanez and Lindero to do a final inspection and evaluation of that mini-project. Meet at the highway entrance to Alonso Yanez at 10 am.

3.       June 19 and 20. Attend 50^th Anniversary Celebration at CEDESA

4.       June 26, 10:30 am, Lee and Chela to visit San Lorenzo to do a profile of the two families asking for cistern resources in that community

5.       June 26, 12 noon, Closing Ceremony for Vivienda at the house of Louisa.

6.       July 16, 10 am, Meeting of the Counsel of COCIRA at the Salon de Lecturas en Cienega Juan Ruiz

7.       July 23, 12 noon, Closing Ceremony for Alonso Yanez and Lindero at the Casa de Lecturas.

8.       July 28, 10 am, Organizational meeting for the community of Boca de Canada. Chela, Lee, Mayra, and Carolina to attend.

So much for having a leisurely summer before beginning new projects in the fall! It was decided that we will use the rest of the cistern construction funds for the San Miguel de Allende community over the summer. The plan is to construct 14 in Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca, 2 in San Lorenzo and 6 in Nombre de Dios.

The COCIRA counsel proposed to take the responsibility of visiting every community after a Project is completed and before the final celebration to do a final inspection, evaluation and monitoring of the Project. This could be an excellent way for us to improve each project while building a complete database with all of the cisterns constructed by CEDESA and Rotary since 2008. At the end of the summer we will have completed a total of 125 cisterns from the current global grant bringing the grand total to about 750 in 29 different San Miguel communities. There will be more discussion with the COCIRA council on how best to return to all previous communities so that we will have a complete picture of all of the work done since the water harvesting project began in 2009 at Los Torres. Mayra told me that she and Benigno (CEDESA) visited many communities already last summer. She and I will review the information she already has and make a plan how to accomplish this task. This is likely more appropriate than trying to use college students doing their social service to evaluate the cistern projects.

Lee reported that Rotary San Miguel Midday has already begun seeking resources for the winter of 2015 and the year 2016 in all communities lying within the Cuenca de Independencia. This will include San Felipe, Dolores Hidalgo, San Diego Union, San Luis de la Paz and San Miguel de Allende. We will begin organizing the community of Boca de Canada over the summer so that they will be ready by the fall when grant funds become available.

Saul Juarez of CEDESA announced at the end of the meeting that he will stop working as a promotor for CEDESA at the end of June to pursue personal goals and projects. Everyone is sorry to see Saul retire as a promotor, but he will still be involved as a citizen and member of COCIRA. From the standpoint of Rotary, we will miss Saul very much and we wish him the best in the future. Saul has been the backbone of our work in San Miguel since 2010 and has contributed significantly to the success of our many projects. There are other CEDESA promotors that can do the work of organizing and coordinating communities but we will need to train a new technical promotor to oversee construction. Until that is done Benigno who generally works in the northern part of CEDESA’s territory will be available to us.

Lee Carter

Rotary San Miguel Midday

June 4, 2015

COCIRA Meeting (Consejo Ciudadano Rural de Agua de San Miguel de Allende

COCIRA Meeting

(Consejo Ciudadano Rural de Agua de San Miguel de Allende

Location: Alonso Yanez

April 9, 2015

Attendance: Presa Allende, San Lorenzo, Juan Gonzalez, Tierra Blanca, Vivienda de Abajo, Alonso Yanez, Lindero, Correlejo, Boca de La Cañada, Cienega Juan Ruiz, Capadrillo. Approximately 36 community Members and a boat load of children. Chela Martinez, Margarita Godinez and Saul Juarez from CEDESA. Lee Carter from Rotary San Miguel Midday.

Missing: Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca, Montecillo de Nieto, Nombre de Dios and La Banda

This was a good turnout and we were pleased to welcome a new community, Boca de La Cañada, to COCIRA. Boca de La Cañada, stated they came because they had been invited by Alonso Yanez and they had heard through them about the water contamination problems. They have a preliminary list of 30 families that are interested in a water harvesting project. They noted that their children are getting dental fluorosis. They also said they are interested in getting dry toilets in the future as well.

The many possibilities of things that can be done to improve community health and economics by working through COCIRA and CEDESA was discussed. Among the many things were included Bee Keeping (Apicultura), Water Harvesting, Dry Toilets, Health and Alternative Medicine Clinics, Transformation of Products. Chela Martinez spoke about the importance of working together in communities and through COCIRA to achieve significant change in their lives.

Saul and several community members reported about the World Water Day activities from the event last month in San Cayentano in San Luis de la Paz. Lidia from Vivienda talked about how interesting it was to meet persons from other municipalities facing the same problems that we face here in San Miguel. Alejandro Guerra and Lee Carter from Rotary had attended the event also.

Chela announced that CEDESA would be celebrating its 50^th year in community development in June and invited everyone to come to CEDESA headquarters in Dolores Hidalgo on June 20 and 21 for two days of workshops and celebration. Chela also told the history of the Rotary water projects and how that led to the formation of COCIRA. Were it not for COCIRA and the work of Laura Stewart and Holly Yasui there would never have been such success in the rural rainwater harvesting projects.

Lee reported that he had visited Presa Allende on April 7^th with Dr. Norman Feldstein, a retired dentist and dentistry professor who had taught fluorosis at the University of Pittsburg. The examination of 23 children clearly demonstrated the existence of fluoride from the well located in Salitrillo. Although, fortunately there was no clinically severe fluorosis present, the mild and moderate fluorosis seen confirmed the importance to finding alternative drinking and cooking water for the community as soon as possible. That project is now scheduled to begin in May.

Lee also reported that Rotary has begun looking for funding for the next water harvesting project and that first results appeared encouraging. Lee asked the COCIRA members if there would be any interest in returning to communities with prior projects with water safety and cistern maintenance classes along with a review of the current status of cisterns built since 2008. Chela was in agreement and would like to set up a program to do this within the next grant if possible. Perhaps we can do some one day community visits where we can teach the materials that are being developed for the new grant. Community members agreed that this could be a helpful program. Chela also announced that Rotary would be expanding its work to include all communities affected in the Independence Aquifer region.

Saul reported that this year there were 16 new cisterns in Juan Gonzalez (plus 4 rotoplas's), 17 in La Banda/Montecillo, 16 (plus one Rotoplas) are under construction in Lindero and 23 are to be started in Alonso Yanez in two weeks. Presa Allende is standing by for a minimum of 20 cisterns. (There were 36 families in waiting last September and some of the lost families may come back into the project now that they know it is definitely going to happen.)  Saul and Lee are going to set a community meeting there in the next two weeks to “reanimate” the community.

Representatives came from San Lorenzo to ask for cisterns for two families there. They reported also that the Villa de Guadalupe well is finally operating after more than 18 months of waiting for the pump to be installed by SAPASMA. Lee stated that he would like to have that well tested as soon as possible remembering that there were 8 families there that wanted cisterns if the water quality of the new well was not satisfactory. Lee will follow up on that.

A meeting of the council leaders of COCIRA was set for 9 am on Abril 21 at Corralejo. Chela and Lee set a date in June to go visit Nombre de Dios and Ojo de Charco two communities that are in dire need of assistance but are in a location that leaves them stranded neither belonging to San Miguel nor Dolores. The next COCIRA meeting will be on June 4, 10 am at Presa Allende.

As always we adjourned (3:30 pm) to a fine pot luck lunch brought by all of the participants. Lee took the back way home dropping off COCIRA members in Juan Gonzalez and Correlajo, & then visited the project under way in Vivienda. Pleased to report that all is moving forward on schedule and that the completed cisterns appear very good.

Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday

Dental Fluorosis report of community of Presa Allende

This document provides documentary evidence of the health effects; on a number inhabitants of the community in Presa Allende, of consuming fluoride contaminated water, 

View the dental fluorosis report here by Norman R. Feldstein D.M.D.

Despite the anomaly in current levels of fluoride testing below the maximum threshold of 1.5mg/l (most likely explained by the unusually high levels of rainfall this season, possibly diluting the levels of fluoride present in the artesenal wells), this report serves to explain the evident need for safe drinking water in this community.

Closing Ceremony – La Banda and Montecillo de Nieto

Today we traveled over the hill and through the woods (fording a river long the way) to enjoy the closing celebration for our La Banda and Montecillo de Nieto project. 

We are joined this week by representatives of the Lotus Foundation who provided significant funding to these projects and also to our previous project at Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca. Mark and Margaret are here and they have brought along the president of the board of Lotus, John, and Eric who is also a board member. Yesterday they were able to see the construction of a pilot cistern at Vivienda Urbano after having a presentation at our weekly Rotary meeting from Dr. Adrian Ortega, the absolute guru and expert on our Independence Aquifer and its problems.

Alejandro, Ivar, David H, Tom and Sara also came from Rotary San Miguel Midday. We brought a few other visitors with us that wanted to see in person our water harvesting projects. We arrived early enough so that we could go see five of the new cisterns … moving our group along from stop to stop was a bit like herding cats but ultimately we were able to do this. John and Eric from Lotus had many good questions and observations.

The closing ceremony began about 1:00 pm at the pilot cistern location in Nuevo Rancho de la Banda. There were about 60 persons present including Saul and Chela of CEDESA. There were six person representatives from each of the communities of Ex-Hacienda de Pena Blanca, Presa Allende, Alonso Yanez, and Lindero. All of these communities are hoping to begin projects soon. We will begin in Alonso Yanez and Lindero later this month. 

We had short speeches from each of these communities as well as from Alejandro for Rotary and Chela for CEDESA. Several people from La Banda and Montecillo de Nieto spoke about their experience with this project. Reina from La Banda explained that she was surprised by how hard the work was being that never before had she had to manage a shovel and mix concrete … she is right; it is hard manual labor. Everyone chuckled a bit and said they would be more understanding of their husbands when they came home from working as construction workers. 

Another person from Montecillo reflected that even though the work was hard, it was really fun working together in the groups. The Montecillo spokesperson pointed out that although they have been waiting two years to get the resources for this project that it has been a good experience and they have learned many other important things along the way. 

Finally, after cutting the ribbon to close the project, we got to the real business of the day: lunch. Many persons brought many delicious dishes and we all left full and satisfied.

After lunch Saul and I returned to Vivienda where the pilot cistern is being built. I watched as Saul taught the work teams to form the cone shaped top of the cisterns. I could only admire the way that the materials (wire and reinforcing) have been mineralized to leave not much more than the “oink” as they say. 

Overall it was another great day in the campo and enjoying the fruits of these projects.

Tomorrow we will be taking the Lotus foundation visitors to see the Ex-Hacienda de Pena  Blanca project where there is already a new group asking us to fund a phase II project for them. We will also visit Juan Gonzalez where we have just recently completed 15 cisterns.

Submitted by: Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday

Planning Meeting: Vivienda

February 25, 2014

Attending: Saul (CEDESA), Lee (Rotary) and 11 families from Vivienda

We met today to finalize our Phase II project in Vivienda. Two work teams have been established who will build a pilot cistern at the Secondary School followed by 10 individual family cisterns. Lee will finalize orders with Hierro Comercial for materials and he will deliver the plywood to the project on Saturday morning. Saul will coordinate with Jesus Rico for sand and gravel delivery. 

Veronica R agreed to take overall responsibility for local coordination of the project and Laura Yolanda R will be team leader for Group 1. Maria R  will lead Group 2. An eleventh family was asking for materials to self-build their own cistern but they were not willing to be part of the group work teams. The members voted that to be eligible to receive materials and assistance from Rotary, that working in the teams was an obligation. This is essential to having a successful project and to promote the concept of community development that we hold dear to our hearts.

We reviewed the reason that cisterns are essential (fluoride contamination) and also discussed the important of additional sanitation procedures that should be followed to have the “purest” possible water for their families. We planned out the schedule for this project and made an exhaustive list of tools that would need to be provided during the construction phase. The pilot cistern will be constructed from March 2 to March 6, 2015. 

See photo from the planning meeting: Organizing and Procedure for Construction of Cisterns. What is needed? #1 on the list is food. Then training, group organization, a construction assistant for each group, materials, the will to work!, tools, and predefined rules and responsibilities within each group.

Next week five persons from the Lotus Foundation will be visiting San Miguel to see the water harvesting projects in action. The work groups at Vivienda agreed to work on Tuesday in the afternoon to be able to give our visitors a chance to see a pilot cistern being constructed first hand.

Submitted by: Lee Carter

Global Grant Update La Banda/Montecillo de Nieto: & Alonso Yanez and Presa Allende: January 27, 2015

La Banda/Montecillo de Nieto: The pilot cistern at the elementary school in La Banda is now complete and the communities of La Banda and Montecillo de Nieto are ready to split into three teams and complete 17 more family cisterns. Hierro Comercial is delivering all the materials today and the other components, gravel, sand, plywood, were delivered last week. It will take about six weeks to complete and we hope to have a grand celebration in the first week or March which is also when we will begin a 12 cistern project in Vivienda.

Alonso Yanez and Presa Allende: I continue to go bi-weekly to the communities of Alonso Yanez and Presa Allende to collect water samples from their wells. CATIS and Rotary are doing a simple study to determine how and if fluoride levels rise over the dry season as the wells are drawn down by the extra water being extracted. We have been doing this since the end of the rainy season and plan to continue until the end of the dry season. Talks with the “pozoleros” (persons that take care of community wells in the communities) have told us that the months of April and May are when the extraction is at its greatest. Alonso Yanez is consistently testing at close to 5 mg/liter for fluoride which is the highest we have seen within our municipality (water levels above 1.5mg/litre may have long-term undesirable effects**read more about fluoride here).

We will be building about 46 cisterns in Alonso Yanez and the adjacent community, Lindero, in April 2015.

Submitted by Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday