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Nicaragua: July 2011

Nicaragua: July 2011. R. Boots, W. Deppe , D. Griggs, L. Li, M. Jungclaus , T. Slack, S. Soni. The trip was:. The team was:. Resilient Adaptable Tough Cohesive. Unpredictable Challenging Enriching Educational. A few words. Location. Team. Photovoice GIS Mapping Water Testing

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Nicaragua: July 2011

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  1. Nicaragua: July 2011 R. Boots, W. Deppe, D. Griggs, L. Li, M. Jungclaus, T. Slack, S. Soni

  2. The trip was: The team was: Resilient Adaptable Tough Cohesive • Unpredictable • Challenging • Enriching • Educational A few words

  3. Location

  4. Team

  5. Photovoice • GIS Mapping • Water Testing • Bridges to Community initiatives • School building • Siuna hospital • Stovetop renovation Projects

  6. Interviewing participants about their images Photovoice

  7. Exhibiting photos with community leaders Photovoice

  8. Key insight: Subjects focused on health and safety, especially for children, elderly, and the poorest residents. • Most common problems: • Unsafe creek crossing • Unsanitary latrines • Trash dump and pollution affecting the most impoverished families • Inaccessible medicine/treatmentfor elderly • Lack of a safe space for baseball, soccer, and other activities for kids • In interviews, residents tended to focus on problems affecting less fortunate people, rather than themselves. Photovoice results

  9. What we learned: • Skills: engagement, communication, how to give instructions and host a meeting • Issues important to residents are not obvious to visitors or Norteamericanos. • Unequal distribution of resources • What Bridges learned: • School project is appreciated, but may not address problems identified by residents • New latrines and bridges may be more effective • Water system does not reach poorest families—those with contaminated water Photovoice results

  10. Verdict:successful, but room for improvement

  11. GPS Coordinate at origin of water system GIS Mapping andWater Testing

  12. Siuna: old and new systems • Old: always on • Very poor quality • Campo Uno pictured • New: Intermittent supply • once a week • Residents fill drums when they can • consumable by locals and Meaghan • Hospital: old system with state-of-the-art filters • Filters not connected • Rainwater used when drums empty Water Supply and Quality

  13. Fonseca: water supply different from family to family • Least-poor families use wells • Others use ‘ojos de agua’ • New system under construction for 44 households • Photovoice: many issues with dehydration and GI infections • Saline and other rehydrants inaccessible Water Supply and Quality

  14. Well (our host family) Ojo (Dna. Ramirez) Water supplies in Fonseca

  15. 100 ft. depth Solar-powered Pumps water to cistern atop of nearby hill 44 households included New system (under construction)

  16. Iron Copper Siuna used to be a mining town High levels can cause stomach, liver, and kidney illness No significant traces found • Presence can indicate larger contamination problems • Secondary contaminant • Significant traces found Water Quality: results

  17. Colliform Presence/Absence Indicates presence of other fecal pathogens All samples positive Only control run in U.S. negative Water Quality: results

  18. pH Turbidity Associated with GI diseases Affects water disinfection with chlorine Filtered water better than well water • Indicates if water is hard or soft • No acidic water detected • Hard water detected Water Quality: results

  19. Bridges to Community

  20. Fonseca schoolhouse: concrete steps and floor Bridges’ projects

  21. Fonseca bridge; Siuna latrine; Rancho allegre stove Bridges’ projects

  22. Takeaways: • Sustainable architecture and design • Community-driven construction • Great experience • basic construction • Language/communication • Interaction with Don Luis, Miguel, and other Siuna-area locals and BTC employees Bridges’ projects

  23. An amazing country

  24. An amazing country

  25. BTC did an incredible job getting us better. • Possible illnesses range from mild to very serious • Risks known, documented • Keys to prevention: honesty, caution, vegetarianism, preventative medicine • Keys to recovery: rest, hydration, antibiotics Health concerns

  26. Logistics made difficult by language, lack of cultural understanding, and “Nica Time” • Transportation, translation, safety handled capably by BTC • Nicaraguan staff extremely helpful • Awareness, common sense keep you safe • Violence, instability not a problem Logistical concerns

  27. In the works: Nica 2012 • Feasibility study for water system in Rosa Grande, RAAN, Nicaragua • Sets up long-term, sustained partnership with Bridges to Community • Students work with NGO staff to develop projects and systems in the developing world. Next steps

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