Water Filters in San Andres, Colombia
Posted By admin on June 1, 2009
While building with Habitat in Colombia, we did a rather unusual thing. We installed water filters for some of the local families. There are inherent risks to drinking rainwater (taken from large buckets usually placed on rooftops) including rat urine. This additive has caused a number of deaths locally, so we assembled a basic filter adapted to a 5 gallon bucket which utilizes a mixture of sand, bleach, and a carbon filter.
I arrived in the new village, eager to show the locals what I had tucked under my arm. I began to lose hope as the adults I was presenting to slowly exited the room one by one. I looked at my installation partner, Ann, and winced. We committed to prevail regardless of the size of our meager audience. We continued with renewed vigor. I adapted Bob Marley into a “STIR IT UP” filtration song when mixing the sand. But my singing didn’t stick. The trickle continued. Minutes of complex explanation and dissection passed and eventually I looked up from my contraption. My heart sank as I realized the only remaining, were four school children under the age of ten. I cursed under my breath; I had wasted time and resources.
Then I looked again. I looked at their bouncy pigtails and their bright shinning eyes. The imagine of children sitting on a tattered couch faded and I saw wise men and women beyond their years. Just when I thought my faith in such projects was faltering, I saw what these children can become. I saw Martin Luther King Jr. in the crowd; he fidgeted a lot and popped his knuckles. I noticed Nelson Mandela in navy blue shorts and a pressed white shirt. Mother Teresa was swinging her legs back and forth, since they were too short to touch the ground. I smiled on, feeling fortunate to have played a small part in these children’s lives.
