Record of Meeting pg 1 of 1
11th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Los Torres Community (approx 1 hr from SMA)
When: Friday 31st October 9am – 2pm
Who: Laura (Rotary), Judy (Patronato Pro Ninos) Maria Jesus (Delegada Los Torres) Maria de la Concepcion, Silvia, Hilaria,
Project Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Visit Purpose:
To deliver an invitation for the women leaders of Los Torres to visit CEDESA to meet & understand what CEDESA does & can offer.
Summary of Visit
Judy & I drove out to Los Torres. We met with the women, & were invited into the Delegada’s home. We took with us a laptop to play a DVD as an introduction/overview of CEDESA.
Judy is bilingual, we talked with the women about the possibility of the Rotary Project (we are still treading lightly with this as the community needs to be responsible for driving this project so we are only making suggestions at this point, not wanting to be seen as forcing upon them a project which they believe has no merit). I should point out that all the indicators are there that they not only want this project but are happy to start NOW. (The delegada asked for this already).
We gave them the invitation from CEDESA & explained that we would drive out to Los Torres, pick them up in 2 vehicles & drive them to Dolores to CEDESA for the day. The purpose being for them to get to know more about CEDESA & what they do & ultimately for them to decide if they would like CEDESA’s involvement to solve the water issues in Los Torres.
The women were very receptive & a date was set! We would take them to CEDESA on 7th November.
Friday, October 31, 2008
11th exploratory meeting for water project
This report is in the form of an email from Judy Fisher who made the initial introduction to the Los Torres community for us, for which we are very grateful - who knew then, how it would develop!!
Hi Holly,
As I mentioned on our conversation by cell phone, the visit with Los Torres went very well today. The attendees at the meeting were the Delegado and 3 of the Group Leaders. We introduced the discussion with the topic of water because that is the theme that has been prevalent in our last meetings. They discussed what they perceive as their water issues and brought up the following:
1) No water well in the upper village; need to walk 2 hours 3 times a week for water
2) Wells in lower village sometime are dry in very dry season; and, these wells they understand are causing the dark teeth that the women have. The Patronato Dental Van has been at the village for the last week and the Dentist has been informing them of the problems of fluoride for the teeth.
3) 2 Tinacos from Patronato and large "botes" for the families in the upper community, but insufficient water trucks from the city to keep them filled
4) Contamination of private "botes"
5) Can't keep the level of cleanliness they wish to have in the home because of scarce water.
Next, we read to them the invitation from CEDESA and asked their opinion about going to a meeting to discuss water issues with other community leaders who have or have had water issues. They were in agreement that it would be beneficial to understand more since they are in the process of discussions with SAPASMA (drilling a well) and the Rotary Club (installing water catchments systems.)
Then, we showed them the DVD. At the conclusion, the Delegado said she was very interested in meeting with CEDSESA as she felt she could get help on other issues, not the least of which is cooperation from the Community for a variety of projects. We left the DVD and the Booklet for them to review again before next Friday and asked them to go over both to be prepared for the meeting.
I am attaching 2 files, one the census of Los Torres by family and the second a list of the contacts that I have for Los Torres--people in the community and contacts who are involved with helping the community.
For the meeting on Friday, November 4, we can expect 6 from Los Torres (the Delegado, the 4 Group Leaders and one 4 year old boy), from the Rotary 1 (Laura Stewart) and from PPN 2 (Bill and Judy Fisher). The community leaders did request that the meeting be limited to 10 am to 2 pm as it will take another hour to return to the community.
Laura and I discussed that she would send to you her outline of all of the facts on water in the Community so that CEDESA would have a though understanding before the meeting on Friday, Nov 7.
Should there be any further changes as to attendees, Laura and I will communicate to you very early next week.
Saludos,
Judy Fisher
Hi Holly,
As I mentioned on our conversation by cell phone, the visit with Los Torres went very well today. The attendees at the meeting were the Delegado and 3 of the Group Leaders. We introduced the discussion with the topic of water because that is the theme that has been prevalent in our last meetings. They discussed what they perceive as their water issues and brought up the following:
1) No water well in the upper village; need to walk 2 hours 3 times a week for water
2) Wells in lower village sometime are dry in very dry season; and, these wells they understand are causing the dark teeth that the women have. The Patronato Dental Van has been at the village for the last week and the Dentist has been informing them of the problems of fluoride for the teeth.
3) 2 Tinacos from Patronato and large "botes" for the families in the upper community, but insufficient water trucks from the city to keep them filled
4) Contamination of private "botes"
5) Can't keep the level of cleanliness they wish to have in the home because of scarce water.
Next, we read to them the invitation from CEDESA and asked their opinion about going to a meeting to discuss water issues with other community leaders who have or have had water issues. They were in agreement that it would be beneficial to understand more since they are in the process of discussions with SAPASMA (drilling a well) and the Rotary Club (installing water catchments systems.)
Then, we showed them the DVD. At the conclusion, the Delegado said she was very interested in meeting with CEDSESA as she felt she could get help on other issues, not the least of which is cooperation from the Community for a variety of projects. We left the DVD and the Booklet for them to review again before next Friday and asked them to go over both to be prepared for the meeting.
I am attaching 2 files, one the census of Los Torres by family and the second a list of the contacts that I have for Los Torres--people in the community and contacts who are involved with helping the community.
For the meeting on Friday, November 4, we can expect 6 from Los Torres (the Delegado, the 4 Group Leaders and one 4 year old boy), from the Rotary 1 (Laura Stewart) and from PPN 2 (Bill and Judy Fisher). The community leaders did request that the meeting be limited to 10 am to 2 pm as it will take another hour to return to the community.
Laura and I discussed that she would send to you her outline of all of the facts on water in the Community so that CEDESA would have a though understanding before the meeting on Friday, Nov 7.
Should there be any further changes as to attendees, Laura and I will communicate to you very early next week.
Saludos,
Judy Fisher
Thursday, October 23, 2008
10th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project
Record of Meeting pg 1 of 2
10th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: CEDESA - Dolores
When: Thursday 23rd October 9am – 2pm
Who: Gary, Bob & Laura (Rotary), Holly Yasui, Chela Martinez, Tere Martinez (CEDESA)
Project Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Visit Purpose: For the project to have it’s greatest chance of success, the project team has determined we need to invest a significant amount of time in “mobilising” the community. i.e. getting them fully engaged & acting as driving partners of the project.
Rotary SMA Midday, is primarily an English speaking club & although we have the skills, expertise & experience (Bob Leonard is a world expert on Development) to implement this project, the difference in culture & language present difficulties.
CEDESA is a grass roots organisation that has been established & active for 40 years. They have a history of working with 120 rural (camposino) communities in the northern area of the State that SMA is in (Guanuajato). They have extensive training facilities & their primary focus is environmentally sustainable technologies & to assist people to thrive on the Land, & not be forced to move off the land, to the USA or subsist in urban communities.
This trip was to meet with the organisers of CEDESA & determine their suitability as mobilisation partners in this project.
Summary of Visit
We drove from SMA to CEDESA in Dolores (a nearby town), approx 1hr away. Holly is a volunteer that has been working with CEDESA to raise their profile & an awareness of what they can offer. She is bilingual & assisted with communication. We met with Chela & Tere – 2 sisters that (along with another woman, now passed) established this organisation in 1965 with a Catholic priest named Davalos.
We viewed a dvd which showed that they have been very active over the years, 1stly increasing literacy from 5% of the community to over 80%, & then helping to establish schools, training communities on environmental issues, including water collection & conservation. For 40 years they have been promoting the “art of living in the country”.
We were given a tour of their facilities, which involved grey water recycling, dry/composting toilets, water collection tanks, backyard gardens food production, hives for honey production & fields for large crops production.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
10th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Currently they are hosting a diploma in water studies run by Dr Ortega of UNAM (Mexico’s largest university). It is held ever 2nd Saturday for 8 months. Included in
the course is a section on water testing & water filtration. They currently have a satellite laboratory set up to test water samples for Fluoride, arsenic, magnesium & will later test bacteria. This is of great benefit, as there is currently no access to water testing for the small communities.
The people running CEDESA are a very warm & caring group of people. They have the knack of being able to work with all strata of communities, from the indigenous people to the high level government. They thrive on empowering the people to take full control of their own issues & solutions.
Points of interest
They have “promoters” & “technicians” that visit the communities & assist with both social & technical aspects of the issues being resolved.
They have been active mostly north of Dolores but are interested in spreading their work south of Dolores in the SMA region
They are developing a new focus on the “family economy” enabling families to produce more than they need & have the balance for trade or sale.
From a Development perspective Bob believes they are “text book” examples of how to do it right.
Action:
We need to invite the women leaders of Los Torres to CEDESA to determine if Los Torres would like CEDESA’s help with this project. CEDESA (via Holly) will work on a suitable date & Laura & Judy (from Patronato Pro Ninos) will deliver the invitation.
10th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: CEDESA - Dolores
When: Thursday 23rd October 9am – 2pm
Who: Gary, Bob & Laura (Rotary), Holly Yasui, Chela Martinez, Tere Martinez (CEDESA)
Project Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Visit Purpose: For the project to have it’s greatest chance of success, the project team has determined we need to invest a significant amount of time in “mobilising” the community. i.e. getting them fully engaged & acting as driving partners of the project.
Rotary SMA Midday, is primarily an English speaking club & although we have the skills, expertise & experience (Bob Leonard is a world expert on Development) to implement this project, the difference in culture & language present difficulties.
CEDESA is a grass roots organisation that has been established & active for 40 years. They have a history of working with 120 rural (camposino) communities in the northern area of the State that SMA is in (Guanuajato). They have extensive training facilities & their primary focus is environmentally sustainable technologies & to assist people to thrive on the Land, & not be forced to move off the land, to the USA or subsist in urban communities.
This trip was to meet with the organisers of CEDESA & determine their suitability as mobilisation partners in this project.
Summary of Visit
We drove from SMA to CEDESA in Dolores (a nearby town), approx 1hr away. Holly is a volunteer that has been working with CEDESA to raise their profile & an awareness of what they can offer. She is bilingual & assisted with communication. We met with Chela & Tere – 2 sisters that (along with another woman, now passed) established this organisation in 1965 with a Catholic priest named Davalos.
We viewed a dvd which showed that they have been very active over the years, 1stly increasing literacy from 5% of the community to over 80%, & then helping to establish schools, training communities on environmental issues, including water collection & conservation. For 40 years they have been promoting the “art of living in the country”.
We were given a tour of their facilities, which involved grey water recycling, dry/composting toilets, water collection tanks, backyard gardens food production, hives for honey production & fields for large crops production.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
10th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Currently they are hosting a diploma in water studies run by Dr Ortega of UNAM (Mexico’s largest university). It is held ever 2nd Saturday for 8 months. Included in
the course is a section on water testing & water filtration. They currently have a satellite laboratory set up to test water samples for Fluoride, arsenic, magnesium & will later test bacteria. This is of great benefit, as there is currently no access to water testing for the small communities.
The people running CEDESA are a very warm & caring group of people. They have the knack of being able to work with all strata of communities, from the indigenous people to the high level government. They thrive on empowering the people to take full control of their own issues & solutions.
Points of interest
They have “promoters” & “technicians” that visit the communities & assist with both social & technical aspects of the issues being resolved.
They have been active mostly north of Dolores but are interested in spreading their work south of Dolores in the SMA region
They are developing a new focus on the “family economy” enabling families to produce more than they need & have the balance for trade or sale.
From a Development perspective Bob believes they are “text book” examples of how to do it right.
Action:
We need to invite the women leaders of Los Torres to CEDESA to determine if Los Torres would like CEDESA’s help with this project. CEDESA (via Holly) will work on a suitable date & Laura & Judy (from Patronato Pro Ninos) will deliver the invitation.
Monday, September 29, 2008
9th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project
Record of Meeting pg 1 of 2
9th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Los Torres (via Salida Dolores)
When: Monday 29th Sept 2008, 9.15-2pm
Who: Bill & Judy Fisher, Patronato Pro Ninos, Maria de Jesus (Los Torres delegada) Jose Miguel (delegada’s husband), Gary, Gordon, Bob, David & Laura (Rotary),
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Patronato Pro Ninos: are a local non profit organisation. They work closely with the department of health to provide medical & dental services to the communities in need. They have a relationship with the people of Los Torres, they have been providing them with vitamin supplements to add to their tortillas. An interesting point they made is in future they would do more work before providing the supplements, to educate & inform. The take-up time would be faster then. There had been some resistance from the people that were unaware of the benefits, but the word is now spreading & the mothers are now keen to keep adding the supplements.
We met at the Fabrica Aurora & drove out the road to Dolores. We turned at the turnoff for Casa de Aves continued towards Casa de Aves & then took the right fork (with Casa de Aves to the left). We carried on a dirt road for some time with a few muddy patches to negotiate. (drive is approx 45mins from La Aurora).
2nd Meeting with the delegada.
We were very lucky to be taken to the community with Bill, Judy as they already have a relationship with the community delegada (community organiser) Maria de Jesus.
This was the 2nd meeting with the delegada on this topic. It included a bigger team to gather more information & for more of the team to see what the Los Torres scenario would involve.
Judy facilitated a Q&A session between the delegada & her husband & our team.
Points of interest
The previous meeting in Los Torres yielded a lot of information. This report covers just the additional points/information raised.
The lower community have 10 pozos (wells), family owned, some families share the water with others that don’t have a well.
The pozos are very shallow (by comparison with other communities) only 10-15 mtrs deep.
The wells were only 3 mtrs deep 20 years ago, they have to be dug deeper each year (i.e. 1988 3 mtrs deep, 2008 15 mtrs deep)
At the end of the dry season the wells are almost dried up.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
9th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
The wells are used for household & gardens but not agriculture.
Approx. 6 wks ago Sapasma visited the village to see whether it was feasible to drill a well (in the top community)
Sapasma said the well would need to be 80 mtrs deep.
The community had to pay for the feasibility study – US$3000
If Sapasma digs the well it is supposed to service 3 communities, Los Torres, Cruz del Palmar & Montecillo de ?
The other 2 communities were not asked to pay for the feasibility study (according to the delegada’s husband).
Sapasma would apparently pipe the water to the other 2 communities, from Los Torres.
Sapasma is to return in October, with a proposal. Each family will be expected to contribute to the cost of the drilling of the well (nb in another community that community was charged US$300 per family).
It is not known if the other 2 communities – to benefit from the well – will be asked to contribute.
As mentioned in previous notes, the Los Torres mothers already meet on Friday’s at 3pm to discuss Health Department topics (from Health dept supplied Topic Cards), approx ¾ of the mums meet at 3 on Friday, the other ¼ meet on Saturday. The sessions are led by Maria Concepcion.
The delegada & her family put on a large lunch for us all including freshly made tortillas, chicheron, beans, rice & the contribution of baking goods we bought.
The team ate a scrumptious lunch, then viewed the gardens & looked at the roofs of the houses. Then we drove to the upper community to look at the school & water facilities there.
Action:
Contact Sapasma to determine their plans for Los Torres (Bob will ask Enrique to email Ernesto Lopez (the chief engineer) to ask our questions.
9th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Los Torres (via Salida Dolores)
When: Monday 29th Sept 2008, 9.15-2pm
Who: Bill & Judy Fisher, Patronato Pro Ninos, Maria de Jesus (Los Torres delegada) Jose Miguel (delegada’s husband), Gary, Gordon, Bob, David & Laura (Rotary),
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Patronato Pro Ninos: are a local non profit organisation. They work closely with the department of health to provide medical & dental services to the communities in need. They have a relationship with the people of Los Torres, they have been providing them with vitamin supplements to add to their tortillas. An interesting point they made is in future they would do more work before providing the supplements, to educate & inform. The take-up time would be faster then. There had been some resistance from the people that were unaware of the benefits, but the word is now spreading & the mothers are now keen to keep adding the supplements.
We met at the Fabrica Aurora & drove out the road to Dolores. We turned at the turnoff for Casa de Aves continued towards Casa de Aves & then took the right fork (with Casa de Aves to the left). We carried on a dirt road for some time with a few muddy patches to negotiate. (drive is approx 45mins from La Aurora).
2nd Meeting with the delegada.
We were very lucky to be taken to the community with Bill, Judy as they already have a relationship with the community delegada (community organiser) Maria de Jesus.
This was the 2nd meeting with the delegada on this topic. It included a bigger team to gather more information & for more of the team to see what the Los Torres scenario would involve.
Judy facilitated a Q&A session between the delegada & her husband & our team.
Points of interest
The previous meeting in Los Torres yielded a lot of information. This report covers just the additional points/information raised.
The lower community have 10 pozos (wells), family owned, some families share the water with others that don’t have a well.
The pozos are very shallow (by comparison with other communities) only 10-15 mtrs deep.
The wells were only 3 mtrs deep 20 years ago, they have to be dug deeper each year (i.e. 1988 3 mtrs deep, 2008 15 mtrs deep)
At the end of the dry season the wells are almost dried up.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
9th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
The wells are used for household & gardens but not agriculture.
Approx. 6 wks ago Sapasma visited the village to see whether it was feasible to drill a well (in the top community)
Sapasma said the well would need to be 80 mtrs deep.
The community had to pay for the feasibility study – US$3000
If Sapasma digs the well it is supposed to service 3 communities, Los Torres, Cruz del Palmar & Montecillo de ?
The other 2 communities were not asked to pay for the feasibility study (according to the delegada’s husband).
Sapasma would apparently pipe the water to the other 2 communities, from Los Torres.
Sapasma is to return in October, with a proposal. Each family will be expected to contribute to the cost of the drilling of the well (nb in another community that community was charged US$300 per family).
It is not known if the other 2 communities – to benefit from the well – will be asked to contribute.
As mentioned in previous notes, the Los Torres mothers already meet on Friday’s at 3pm to discuss Health Department topics (from Health dept supplied Topic Cards), approx ¾ of the mums meet at 3 on Friday, the other ¼ meet on Saturday. The sessions are led by Maria Concepcion.
The delegada & her family put on a large lunch for us all including freshly made tortillas, chicheron, beans, rice & the contribution of baking goods we bought.
The team ate a scrumptious lunch, then viewed the gardens & looked at the roofs of the houses. Then we drove to the upper community to look at the school & water facilities there.
Action:
Contact Sapasma to determine their plans for Los Torres (Bob will ask Enrique to email Ernesto Lopez (the chief engineer) to ask our questions.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project
Record of Meeting pg 1 of 3
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Los Torres (via Salida Dolores)
When: Thurs Sept 11th 2008, 9.15-12.30
Who: Bill & Judy Fisher, Kitty (?) Patronato Pro Ninos, Maria de Jesus (Los Torres delegada), Laura Stewart (Rotary),
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Patronato Pro Ninos: are a local non profit organisation. They work closely with the department of health to provide medical & dental services to the communities in need. They have a relationship with the people of Los Torres, they have been providing them with vitamin supplements to add to their tortillas. An interesting point they made is in future they would do more work before providing the supplements, to educate & inform. The take-up time would be faster then. There had been some resistance from the people that were unaware of the benefits, but the word is now spreading & the mothers are now keen to keep adding the supplements.
We met at the Aurora & drove out the road to Dolores. We turned at the turnoff for Casa de Aves continued towards Casa de Aves & then took the right fork (with Casa de Aves to the left). We carried on a dirt road for some time with a few muddy patches to negotiate. (drive is approx 45mins from Aurora).
Meeting with the delegada.
I was very lucky to be taken to the community with Bill, Judy & Kitty as they already had a relationship with the community delegada (community organiser) Maria de Jesus.
I immediately noted that Maria’s teeth were badly fluoride damaged & she was self conscious of them (covering them with her hand when she laughed). The other women we saw also all had damaged teeth.
These are the points I discovered with discussion & Q&A with Maria (luckily Judy & Kitty were fluent Spanish speakers).
Points of interest
A percentage of the men are in the United States
Most of the other men work in SMA Mon-fri & only return for weekends
There are 2 distinct geographical regions of Los Torres – the upper (ariba) & the lower (abajo).
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 3
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
The upper region – approx ½ of the community (& general community facts)
the closest community well is 1 hour walk away
they have a 5000 ltr tinaco supplied by Patronato pro nino
the municipality sends a truck to supply water every 8 days (this water is free)
the truck fills the tinaco & the people’s water containers (huge buckets with lids)
when the water runs out they have to walk to their well (1 hr each way) carting the water back with them, either by burro, wheel barrow or if they are lucky private truck.
If carting without a truck the maximum they can carry is 4 x 20ltr garrafons.
They estimated they make the trek to the well 2 to 3 times a week.(ie the tinaco water doesn’t last very long)
I don’t know the quality of the water from their well.
The tinaco has 2 big blue filters on it (not sure of their contents,) & they have colloidal silver tablet inside the tank. Patronato Pro Nino provided these & it is in their “charter” to maintain these (Judy said this was done 6mthly)
There are approx 3 dry toilets (Maria thought) in the upper region. Apart from those there are no other toilets, people just go on the ground.
There is no Comite de Agua in this community.
There are 3 mother’s groups that meet every Friday from 3-5pm, they meet to discuss topics on a set of cards provided by the Health Department, we met the woman that organises the groups (Ilaria), she estimated about 15 attend each meeting. Mostly the young mothers.
The majority of the households cook with wood stoves, most do not have flues or chimneys
They grow in their gardens, mostly maize,corn, beans, squash (& squash flowers)
There was a previous program (some time in the past) by DIF who provided them with seeds of other plants, they have run out & would like to have more. Onions would be good.
We were sitting beside a house made partly of adobe, it looked to be deteriorating on the outside (had been coated but the coating & parts of the bricks had washed away), this structure was 14yrs old.
Lower region (approx ½ of the community)
This part of the community has their own family wells.
The water has been tested & was very high in fluoride (2.4mg/l per the testing data from Ecologia).
They have only about 4 dry toilets, & otherwise go to the toilet anywhere.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 3
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
We visited the school
It has a brand new toilet block with 6 flush toilets! They are not using them at the moment as there is a leak & they can’t fix it as the cisterns are in the wall (no access) I therefore couldn’t see what litre the cistern for each toilet was.
Flush toilets are a huge novelty to these children, the majority of them have no toilet at all at home, & just go on the ground wherever…
They had a bank of 3 hand basins, the water had been turned off by the teachers as the kids had blocked the pipes up when they first got it (a week ago). Water on tap is a novelty for these kids, they obviously thought it was fun to play with it.
Right beside the toilet block were 2 1500 ltr tinacos. These had taps at the bottom (although the tanks were slightly raised) the kids were drinking directly out of the spout from these tanks, the water shot straight out horizontally at force & they kids would put their mouths in the stream & try to suck up the water as it rushed past, I would say about 20% was drunk the rest was in a large puddle that they were tiptoe-ing in to take their drinks!
There is a cistern of approx 2.5x2.5x2.5 (approx 15,000 ltrs) & a pump which pumps the water to the tinaco on the roof to feed the toilets.
The waste is piped to 2 septic tanks with a grey water recycling system
It is supposed to be piped to water the nopal orchard but the teacher mentioned they are missing a tap at the moment so it’s not working.
The school has 80 children
They have 3 dry toilets
They have small nopal orchard
A large percentage of the children had obvious fluoride damage to their teeth
There is a DIF kitchen at the school, the food is supplied by them & the mothers (a team of 4 at a time) provide breakfast & lunch to the children
the school was central, large & well resourced (they have computers & overhead projectors in the classroom – ideal for training sessions)
Other observations –
it is a small community with not many houses “dotted” around
they have electricity
the usual pepsi signs were on the tienda (they have pepsi)
there is also a kinder (preschool)
there is no secondaria – the nearest telesecondaria (satellite secondary school) is approx 40mins walk (cross country) away.
Action
Laura to get in contact with Mary Caruth (on the board of PPN) she has a lot of stats & research on this community.
Laura to contact FAI/PEASMA to see what information they can provide about this community.
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Los Torres (via Salida Dolores)
When: Thurs Sept 11th 2008, 9.15-12.30
Who: Bill & Judy Fisher, Kitty (?) Patronato Pro Ninos, Maria de Jesus (Los Torres delegada), Laura Stewart (Rotary),
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
Patronato Pro Ninos: are a local non profit organisation. They work closely with the department of health to provide medical & dental services to the communities in need. They have a relationship with the people of Los Torres, they have been providing them with vitamin supplements to add to their tortillas. An interesting point they made is in future they would do more work before providing the supplements, to educate & inform. The take-up time would be faster then. There had been some resistance from the people that were unaware of the benefits, but the word is now spreading & the mothers are now keen to keep adding the supplements.
We met at the Aurora & drove out the road to Dolores. We turned at the turnoff for Casa de Aves continued towards Casa de Aves & then took the right fork (with Casa de Aves to the left). We carried on a dirt road for some time with a few muddy patches to negotiate. (drive is approx 45mins from Aurora).
Meeting with the delegada.
I was very lucky to be taken to the community with Bill, Judy & Kitty as they already had a relationship with the community delegada (community organiser) Maria de Jesus.
I immediately noted that Maria’s teeth were badly fluoride damaged & she was self conscious of them (covering them with her hand when she laughed). The other women we saw also all had damaged teeth.
These are the points I discovered with discussion & Q&A with Maria (luckily Judy & Kitty were fluent Spanish speakers).
Points of interest
A percentage of the men are in the United States
Most of the other men work in SMA Mon-fri & only return for weekends
There are 2 distinct geographical regions of Los Torres – the upper (ariba) & the lower (abajo).
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 3
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
The upper region – approx ½ of the community (& general community facts)
the closest community well is 1 hour walk away
they have a 5000 ltr tinaco supplied by Patronato pro nino
the municipality sends a truck to supply water every 8 days (this water is free)
the truck fills the tinaco & the people’s water containers (huge buckets with lids)
when the water runs out they have to walk to their well (1 hr each way) carting the water back with them, either by burro, wheel barrow or if they are lucky private truck.
If carting without a truck the maximum they can carry is 4 x 20ltr garrafons.
They estimated they make the trek to the well 2 to 3 times a week.(ie the tinaco water doesn’t last very long)
I don’t know the quality of the water from their well.
The tinaco has 2 big blue filters on it (not sure of their contents,) & they have colloidal silver tablet inside the tank. Patronato Pro Nino provided these & it is in their “charter” to maintain these (Judy said this was done 6mthly)
There are approx 3 dry toilets (Maria thought) in the upper region. Apart from those there are no other toilets, people just go on the ground.
There is no Comite de Agua in this community.
There are 3 mother’s groups that meet every Friday from 3-5pm, they meet to discuss topics on a set of cards provided by the Health Department, we met the woman that organises the groups (Ilaria), she estimated about 15 attend each meeting. Mostly the young mothers.
The majority of the households cook with wood stoves, most do not have flues or chimneys
They grow in their gardens, mostly maize,corn, beans, squash (& squash flowers)
There was a previous program (some time in the past) by DIF who provided them with seeds of other plants, they have run out & would like to have more. Onions would be good.
We were sitting beside a house made partly of adobe, it looked to be deteriorating on the outside (had been coated but the coating & parts of the bricks had washed away), this structure was 14yrs old.
Lower region (approx ½ of the community)
This part of the community has their own family wells.
The water has been tested & was very high in fluoride (2.4mg/l per the testing data from Ecologia).
They have only about 4 dry toilets, & otherwise go to the toilet anywhere.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 3
8th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
We visited the school
It has a brand new toilet block with 6 flush toilets! They are not using them at the moment as there is a leak & they can’t fix it as the cisterns are in the wall (no access) I therefore couldn’t see what litre the cistern for each toilet was.
Flush toilets are a huge novelty to these children, the majority of them have no toilet at all at home, & just go on the ground wherever…
They had a bank of 3 hand basins, the water had been turned off by the teachers as the kids had blocked the pipes up when they first got it (a week ago). Water on tap is a novelty for these kids, they obviously thought it was fun to play with it.
Right beside the toilet block were 2 1500 ltr tinacos. These had taps at the bottom (although the tanks were slightly raised) the kids were drinking directly out of the spout from these tanks, the water shot straight out horizontally at force & they kids would put their mouths in the stream & try to suck up the water as it rushed past, I would say about 20% was drunk the rest was in a large puddle that they were tiptoe-ing in to take their drinks!
There is a cistern of approx 2.5x2.5x2.5 (approx 15,000 ltrs) & a pump which pumps the water to the tinaco on the roof to feed the toilets.
The waste is piped to 2 septic tanks with a grey water recycling system
It is supposed to be piped to water the nopal orchard but the teacher mentioned they are missing a tap at the moment so it’s not working.
The school has 80 children
They have 3 dry toilets
They have small nopal orchard
A large percentage of the children had obvious fluoride damage to their teeth
There is a DIF kitchen at the school, the food is supplied by them & the mothers (a team of 4 at a time) provide breakfast & lunch to the children
the school was central, large & well resourced (they have computers & overhead projectors in the classroom – ideal for training sessions)
Other observations –
it is a small community with not many houses “dotted” around
they have electricity
the usual pepsi signs were on the tienda (they have pepsi)
there is also a kinder (preschool)
there is no secondaria – the nearest telesecondaria (satellite secondary school) is approx 40mins walk (cross country) away.
Action
Laura to get in contact with Mary Caruth (on the board of PPN) she has a lot of stats & research on this community.
Laura to contact FAI/PEASMA to see what information they can provide about this community.
Monday, August 25, 2008
7th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project
Record of Meeting pg 1 of 2
7th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Sylvia’s house (From FAI)
When: Mon Aug 25th 2008, 6-7.20
Who: Bob Leonard, Laura Stewart (Rotary), Sylvia FAI
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
FAI have been working in the area of conservation, environmental & ecological awareness for nearly 20 years. They have worked closely with marginal communities to improve their environs & living conditions. The world bank funds FAI in the areas of water, energy, food, health, education, crafts & nutrition.
Meeting discussion
We surmised with Sylvia the situation we had found in our visits to Tierra Blanca & the communities near Jalpa. All of the have access to household water, Sapasma has supplied wells (with the financial contribution of the community in many instances), & mostly pipes the water to a central holding tank & then to each of the households. The communities mostly buy their water in garrafons or boil water &/or add chlorine drops.
The problem is not (that we’ve discovered so far at least) lack of water. The possibilities for improvements to be made in the lives of the people of these communities is
To provide safe drinking water (& so they don’t have to buy or boil it, as it is expensive).
To provide an infrastructure to distribute “dam” water for food production
To provide the materials to build dry toilets (so as not to contaminate the ground or well water with faecal matter)
Safe drinking water can be provided by:
Purifying the water
Collecting rainwater
Both of these present challenges, to collect enough rainwater to really make a difference to a whole community requires a huge cistern & system of management & distribution.
Purifying the water can be complex because of the number of potential contaminants, bacterial, fluoride etc. There are issues involved in ensuring the project is sustainable, ie that the filters are able to be replaced when need be.
Sylvia suggested a community Juan Gonzalez. (This community was also identified by Ecologia as not having a well).
It has popn of approx 294 with a close neighbouring community of Los Ortega (12 people).
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
7th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
FAI have been working with this community (demonstrates co-operation), they already have 40 dry toilets, just need about 30 more to be completely sanitary.
They have shallow artesian wells for individual families but no main community well
Currently a lot of the families have to cart water up to where they live (in the higher areas).
Sylvia suggested that Rotary:
Join with Sapasma & provide a community well (the current family wells are shallow so it should not be too expensive – wont have to drill too deep)
Provide a central collection cistern & piping to the houses
Pump the water from the well to the cistern
Look at providing a water collection system as well to provide drinkable water
This way they will have – dry toilets, drinkable water & household water.
Use FAI to provide training re water conservation & the systems & drive/oversee the implementation of the project(s) estimated cost would be 1 person 2days per wk, approx US$450-500 per month, + travel expenses (bus fares) for 10mths ie around US$5000.
Action –
We need to enquire with Sapasma to see whether they have a pozo planned.
If Project is undertaken –
Work with Sapasma to draw up a contract to supply water (re comite de agua) ongoing regulations/management of water supply.
Look at less expensive method to build dry toilet (currently costs US$2000 per toilet to provide the entire structure )
7th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Sylvia’s house (From FAI)
When: Mon Aug 25th 2008, 6-7.20
Who: Bob Leonard, Laura Stewart (Rotary), Sylvia FAI
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
FAI have been working in the area of conservation, environmental & ecological awareness for nearly 20 years. They have worked closely with marginal communities to improve their environs & living conditions. The world bank funds FAI in the areas of water, energy, food, health, education, crafts & nutrition.
Meeting discussion
We surmised with Sylvia the situation we had found in our visits to Tierra Blanca & the communities near Jalpa. All of the have access to household water, Sapasma has supplied wells (with the financial contribution of the community in many instances), & mostly pipes the water to a central holding tank & then to each of the households. The communities mostly buy their water in garrafons or boil water &/or add chlorine drops.
The problem is not (that we’ve discovered so far at least) lack of water. The possibilities for improvements to be made in the lives of the people of these communities is
To provide safe drinking water (& so they don’t have to buy or boil it, as it is expensive).
To provide an infrastructure to distribute “dam” water for food production
To provide the materials to build dry toilets (so as not to contaminate the ground or well water with faecal matter)
Safe drinking water can be provided by:
Purifying the water
Collecting rainwater
Both of these present challenges, to collect enough rainwater to really make a difference to a whole community requires a huge cistern & system of management & distribution.
Purifying the water can be complex because of the number of potential contaminants, bacterial, fluoride etc. There are issues involved in ensuring the project is sustainable, ie that the filters are able to be replaced when need be.
Sylvia suggested a community Juan Gonzalez. (This community was also identified by Ecologia as not having a well).
It has popn of approx 294 with a close neighbouring community of Los Ortega (12 people).
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 2
7th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
FAI have been working with this community (demonstrates co-operation), they already have 40 dry toilets, just need about 30 more to be completely sanitary.
They have shallow artesian wells for individual families but no main community well
Currently a lot of the families have to cart water up to where they live (in the higher areas).
Sylvia suggested that Rotary:
Join with Sapasma & provide a community well (the current family wells are shallow so it should not be too expensive – wont have to drill too deep)
Provide a central collection cistern & piping to the houses
Pump the water from the well to the cistern
Look at providing a water collection system as well to provide drinkable water
This way they will have – dry toilets, drinkable water & household water.
Use FAI to provide training re water conservation & the systems & drive/oversee the implementation of the project(s) estimated cost would be 1 person 2days per wk, approx US$450-500 per month, + travel expenses (bus fares) for 10mths ie around US$5000.
Action –
We need to enquire with Sapasma to see whether they have a pozo planned.
If Project is undertaken –
Work with Sapasma to draw up a contract to supply water (re comite de agua) ongoing regulations/management of water supply.
Look at less expensive method to build dry toilet (currently costs US$2000 per toilet to provide the entire structure )
Friday, August 15, 2008
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project
Record of Meeting pg 1 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Daytrip – Tierra Blanca
When: Fri Aug 15th 2008, 8.00pm – 3.30pm (including approx .75 hr Comida)
Who: Bob Leonard, Sue Leonard & Laura Stewart Rotary, Norma, Carlos, Luis FAI
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
FAI have been working in the area of conservation, environmental & ecological awareness for nearly 20 years. They have worked closely with marginal communities to improve their environs & living conditions. The world bank funds FAI in the areas of water, energy, food, health, education, crafts & nutrition.
Detail of visit:
We went to the Municipality of Tierra Blanca – in the state of GTO.
We met at the FAI office on Hidalgo, then went to Norma’s house to pick up her car as there were too many of us to go in Carlos’ car. Bob paid $200pesos, Laura paid $100pesos for the gas contribution.
We stopped briefly on the way & met with Carlos’ family that have an Ecology Centre, they have water collection & a sweat lodge there, his family are involved in the teaching of the community in Tierra Blanca, on the subject of conservation, & organic fertilisation & pest control.
We met with Luis – that works with FAI. He explained FAI began working with 12 communities in the area for 16 years ago. Their aim was to re-establish the ecosystem in the area. When they arrived there, there was very little growing & a lot of erosion & no soil. They initially worked to establish a collection base for soil, by creating stone terraces on the hillsides. They left after 10 years & have just returned again 6 years on.
FAI are very heartened to see that the communities have carried on their good work in their absence & the improvement to the environment is huge. Where there was nothing but erosion & protruding rock face, there is now a thriving eco-system of small plants & moist areas. It slows the flow of the water enough that it also regenerates the aquifer.
They have also been constructing bordos (dams) & now are faced with the issue of how to manage & distribute the water from the dams to the areas they need to use the water in. IE backyard gardens (more on that later) for food production.
Torrecitas Community
Luis took us to visit a Nopal Orchard. This was a large green house structure that covers an orchard of Nopals (prickly pear cactus) for harvest. He explained the process of producing the nopals, they are reasonably fast growing, a paddle grows in a month, & each plant (once pruned correctly) can be growing multiple paddles each month at each juncture of the plant.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Some of the facts Luis told us
The govt. (SAGARPA govt ministry for agriculture program) will subsidise these projects 50/50 but offer no training (FAI can provide training)
Sedesol (ministry for social development – Secretary desarollo de social) funds FAI training
The green house cost $200,000 pesos (US$20k) payback period is estimated to be 5 years.
Each plant costs 4-6 pesos (single paddle to plant)
16 plants per m2
Lead time between planting & harvest is 1.5mths before it produces enough to harvest
16 nopalitos per month
The nopalitos are harvested for both “seed” & sale
Market is in Qto (market is much larger than current supply level)
Plants are drip irrigated (fertiliser can be included in the water)
Irrigation costs approx 14,000 pesos (including tinacos – storage tanks)
They use cow dung as mulch (fertiliser & prevents evaporation)
They sell the nopalitos per kilo (approx 5 pesos)
Nopalitos are very high in vitamin c (especially if eaten raw), they are thought to prevent osteoporosis & are curative for diabetes
Nopolitos are “nutria-cetic” health giving plants
FAI is currently working with 450 families
Nopals wont start to grow a “baby” until it knows it has enough to completely grow it, ie if you see a baby growing, you can be sure it will grow to maturity.
Optimum temp for production is 25-33 degrees C (hence there is better rate of growth under a greenhouse than outside, but it can be grown outside – just at a slower rate)
They pump water from the river (at the bottom of the property) to the tinaco’s for storage & distribution by irrigation system
They have 3 months with no water Dec- Feb
They have created a collection pond – diverted from the river – that lasts almost the entire year.
Luis described FAI’s approach to training
Social Capital – to build a social structure, gives responsibilities & structure to the community, they form a “co-operative” working together on all of the identified responsibilities & also for bulk purchases etc.
technical know-how they teach them how to prune, fertilise, control disease etc
economical integration covers aspects such as “the market” how it works, product (definition) , production system, admin, monetary controls etc.
they also teach goals, planning, timelines & deadlines.
Observation
I noted that they had large tinacos that Luis explained they filled with water by pumping from the river. They also had a huge roof on what looked like a warehouse which had no guttering or water collection. I asked why the tinaco was not positioned to catch the water from the roof & so they could use rain water directly.
Record of Meeting pg 3 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
It is not in their thinking to do that, they figure in the rainy season there is plenty of water in the river so they just use that. I pointed out it would save using the river & also save using electricity to pump the water up.
It would be a simple matter to attach some guttering & down piping(spouting) to the huge roof, especially since they already had expensive tinaco storage.
Next we viewed some more rock terraces & an example of a dam they had constructed. It was surrounded by lush greenery. Luis explained it had all been achieved by the community. They have equivalent of “working bees” & then do the same on their own land.
They have also constructed many dry toilets in 3-5 of the communities, to prevent groundwater contamination & create a source of rich fertilizer.
Luis described FAI’s intention to demonstrate/implement back yard gardens, he took us to see 2 families that have begun to implement this garden.
Backyard Garden info
100m2 is enough to produce vegetables to feed a family of 8 for 1 year
By teaching them to grow their own variety of vegetables they are ensuring the family has a healthy diet (not just tortillas & beans), this helps prevent diabetes improves their nutrition generally.
Water required is 1 litre per m2, ie 100m2 requires 100 litres daily
First they plant wheat, then plough it in to provide nitrogen rich fertilizer (this takes 20days) wheat breaks down quickly
When purchasing seed they should check the catalogue numbers to ensure they are not genetically modified seeds
FAI have been training the communities to grow 14 different varieties of veges
Requirements
Many of the communities have dams that have been built in order to collect the water for food production. Currently they have no way to carry the water to the gardens. They would need tinacos at each family for storage, a pump at each dam & pipes to pipe the water to the tinacos. They would also need to make someone responsible for each dam & the distribution of water from it.
Rough costings/estimates of assistance to 70 families wanting to grow backyard gardens.
70 families
Approx 25 dams
Need approx 25 pumps (US$340 per pump) = $8500
70 Tinacos – 1500 ltr = $100 70x100 = $7000
Tubing/installation etc 70 x $50 = $3500
Total = $19,500
Question raised – Gary/David can you answer this?
What is the rotary definition of a building? Is a greenhouse a building or equipment?
Record of Meeting pg 4 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Conclusion
It was very encouraging to see what can be achieved with good guidance & structure (as provided by FAI).
These communities are good examples of what a difference training & involvement of the community in their own decisions & sustainable projects, can make.
The opportunity for assistance for Rotary in this areas are:
contribution to a water distribution infrastructure
contribution to water storage facilities (tinacos, cisterns, storage tanks)
water collection/harvesting units for drinkable water
These communities already have household water provided by Sapasma drilled pozos & reservoirs, they (like the 2 previous communities we have visited) buy their “drinkable” water in garrafons or boil the water & add chlorine drops.
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Where: Daytrip – Tierra Blanca
When: Fri Aug 15th 2008, 8.00pm – 3.30pm (including approx .75 hr Comida)
Who: Bob Leonard, Sue Leonard & Laura Stewart Rotary, Norma, Carlos, Luis FAI
Purpose - SMA Rotary has tasked Bob, Enrique & Laura with defining the “needs” & determining the best proposal, for a major water Project involving the writing of a competitive grant for approx. US$100K.
Rationale: As part of the process of defining the “need” we will meet with as many people as possible that are directly involved in the provision of, or are aware of the need for the provision of, safe drinking water solutions to marginal communities.
FAI have been working in the area of conservation, environmental & ecological awareness for nearly 20 years. They have worked closely with marginal communities to improve their environs & living conditions. The world bank funds FAI in the areas of water, energy, food, health, education, crafts & nutrition.
Detail of visit:
We went to the Municipality of Tierra Blanca – in the state of GTO.
We met at the FAI office on Hidalgo, then went to Norma’s house to pick up her car as there were too many of us to go in Carlos’ car. Bob paid $200pesos, Laura paid $100pesos for the gas contribution.
We stopped briefly on the way & met with Carlos’ family that have an Ecology Centre, they have water collection & a sweat lodge there, his family are involved in the teaching of the community in Tierra Blanca, on the subject of conservation, & organic fertilisation & pest control.
We met with Luis – that works with FAI. He explained FAI began working with 12 communities in the area for 16 years ago. Their aim was to re-establish the ecosystem in the area. When they arrived there, there was very little growing & a lot of erosion & no soil. They initially worked to establish a collection base for soil, by creating stone terraces on the hillsides. They left after 10 years & have just returned again 6 years on.
FAI are very heartened to see that the communities have carried on their good work in their absence & the improvement to the environment is huge. Where there was nothing but erosion & protruding rock face, there is now a thriving eco-system of small plants & moist areas. It slows the flow of the water enough that it also regenerates the aquifer.
They have also been constructing bordos (dams) & now are faced with the issue of how to manage & distribute the water from the dams to the areas they need to use the water in. IE backyard gardens (more on that later) for food production.
Torrecitas Community
Luis took us to visit a Nopal Orchard. This was a large green house structure that covers an orchard of Nopals (prickly pear cactus) for harvest. He explained the process of producing the nopals, they are reasonably fast growing, a paddle grows in a month, & each plant (once pruned correctly) can be growing multiple paddles each month at each juncture of the plant.
Record of Meeting pg 2 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Some of the facts Luis told us
The govt. (SAGARPA govt ministry for agriculture program) will subsidise these projects 50/50 but offer no training (FAI can provide training)
Sedesol (ministry for social development – Secretary desarollo de social) funds FAI training
The green house cost $200,000 pesos (US$20k) payback period is estimated to be 5 years.
Each plant costs 4-6 pesos (single paddle to plant)
16 plants per m2
Lead time between planting & harvest is 1.5mths before it produces enough to harvest
16 nopalitos per month
The nopalitos are harvested for both “seed” & sale
Market is in Qto (market is much larger than current supply level)
Plants are drip irrigated (fertiliser can be included in the water)
Irrigation costs approx 14,000 pesos (including tinacos – storage tanks)
They use cow dung as mulch (fertiliser & prevents evaporation)
They sell the nopalitos per kilo (approx 5 pesos)
Nopalitos are very high in vitamin c (especially if eaten raw), they are thought to prevent osteoporosis & are curative for diabetes
Nopolitos are “nutria-cetic” health giving plants
FAI is currently working with 450 families
Nopals wont start to grow a “baby” until it knows it has enough to completely grow it, ie if you see a baby growing, you can be sure it will grow to maturity.
Optimum temp for production is 25-33 degrees C (hence there is better rate of growth under a greenhouse than outside, but it can be grown outside – just at a slower rate)
They pump water from the river (at the bottom of the property) to the tinaco’s for storage & distribution by irrigation system
They have 3 months with no water Dec- Feb
They have created a collection pond – diverted from the river – that lasts almost the entire year.
Luis described FAI’s approach to training
Social Capital – to build a social structure, gives responsibilities & structure to the community, they form a “co-operative” working together on all of the identified responsibilities & also for bulk purchases etc.
technical know-how they teach them how to prune, fertilise, control disease etc
economical integration covers aspects such as “the market” how it works, product (definition) , production system, admin, monetary controls etc.
they also teach goals, planning, timelines & deadlines.
Observation
I noted that they had large tinacos that Luis explained they filled with water by pumping from the river. They also had a huge roof on what looked like a warehouse which had no guttering or water collection. I asked why the tinaco was not positioned to catch the water from the roof & so they could use rain water directly.
Record of Meeting pg 3 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
It is not in their thinking to do that, they figure in the rainy season there is plenty of water in the river so they just use that. I pointed out it would save using the river & also save using electricity to pump the water up.
It would be a simple matter to attach some guttering & down piping(spouting) to the huge roof, especially since they already had expensive tinaco storage.
Next we viewed some more rock terraces & an example of a dam they had constructed. It was surrounded by lush greenery. Luis explained it had all been achieved by the community. They have equivalent of “working bees” & then do the same on their own land.
They have also constructed many dry toilets in 3-5 of the communities, to prevent groundwater contamination & create a source of rich fertilizer.
Luis described FAI’s intention to demonstrate/implement back yard gardens, he took us to see 2 families that have begun to implement this garden.
Backyard Garden info
100m2 is enough to produce vegetables to feed a family of 8 for 1 year
By teaching them to grow their own variety of vegetables they are ensuring the family has a healthy diet (not just tortillas & beans), this helps prevent diabetes improves their nutrition generally.
Water required is 1 litre per m2, ie 100m2 requires 100 litres daily
First they plant wheat, then plough it in to provide nitrogen rich fertilizer (this takes 20days) wheat breaks down quickly
When purchasing seed they should check the catalogue numbers to ensure they are not genetically modified seeds
FAI have been training the communities to grow 14 different varieties of veges
Requirements
Many of the communities have dams that have been built in order to collect the water for food production. Currently they have no way to carry the water to the gardens. They would need tinacos at each family for storage, a pump at each dam & pipes to pipe the water to the tinacos. They would also need to make someone responsible for each dam & the distribution of water from it.
Rough costings/estimates of assistance to 70 families wanting to grow backyard gardens.
70 families
Approx 25 dams
Need approx 25 pumps (US$340 per pump) = $8500
70 Tinacos – 1500 ltr = $100 70x100 = $7000
Tubing/installation etc 70 x $50 = $3500
Total = $19,500
Question raised – Gary/David can you answer this?
What is the rotary definition of a building? Is a greenhouse a building or equipment?
Record of Meeting pg 4 of 4
6th Exploratory Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Water Project Committee
Conclusion
It was very encouraging to see what can be achieved with good guidance & structure (as provided by FAI).
These communities are good examples of what a difference training & involvement of the community in their own decisions & sustainable projects, can make.
The opportunity for assistance for Rotary in this areas are:
contribution to a water distribution infrastructure
contribution to water storage facilities (tinacos, cisterns, storage tanks)
water collection/harvesting units for drinkable water
These communities already have household water provided by Sapasma drilled pozos & reservoirs, they (like the 2 previous communities we have visited) buy their “drinkable” water in garrafons or boil the water & add chlorine drops.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)