(no subject)
Sometimes I wish I could understand the muscles that come from carrying long, geometrically awkward, irrigation lines through the thick mud. The solid will required to go through these motions while one has the flu. The stress of monoculture and the fate of your crop being almost completley dependent on the whims of the weather (one morning of bad frost, etc).
I will be working with an organization called global brigades in a rural honduran community. The goal of global water brigades is to get these communities a boost in creating the infrastructure required to have a sustainable and sanitary water supply, while educating the young ones on basic hygiene for the future. I am a small part of a larger, 5-year process for each village global brigades is involved in. My knowledge in development economics is rather slim, but I am confident in the overall process because the initial investment in water infrastructure in developing countries is the largest hurdle in creating a water distribution system. My main concern for the future is maintenance of the dams (problems in include sedimentation and structural integrity), pipes (these could wear out overtime), and other things. However, there are professional engineers from here and honduras that are deeply involved in both the planning and implementation.
While I was reading a general overview of the water projects in honduras associated with global brigades, I came upon a picture of some of the community members and I suddenly became nostalgic for my grandfather's orchard and the migrant workers he had worked with. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say with the parallels between my grandfather and the farmers I will meet...I guess I have always had more respect for people who sustain their existence from the land, knowing the back-breaking work that goes into it. I hope that I can speak with and understand them because I think I have a lot to learn on this trip; not only from working on a full-scale water project, but also conversing with people in a country I have never been to.
post-trip edit:
In terms of the typical sustainability problems associated with dams, the project will be long-lasting because it is a very small dam (structural integrity will not be as big of an issue and it was well-constructed) and, above the dam, there was a screen put in place to prevent sedimentation. I think the project will be able to be maintained because the community has a good understanding of how everything was put together, they were involved in the implementation. Also, there were valves put into place to release any sediment that made it's way into the pipes. According to Ben (one of the engineers), the PVC pipes would last a very long time.
Although I feel like I could have connected on a more personal level with the people in Los Pajarillos if I had known the language, I am thankful for the few and simple things I could ask and understand. The thing that threw me off was how much I enjoyed hanging out with the young ones. They were incredibly sweet and lifted my spirits when I was tired from carrying sand or digging trenches. It made me happy to know that this work, though my part was small, would be improve their future.
I will be working with an organization called global brigades in a rural honduran community. The goal of global water brigades is to get these communities a boost in creating the infrastructure required to have a sustainable and sanitary water supply, while educating the young ones on basic hygiene for the future. I am a small part of a larger, 5-year process for each village global brigades is involved in. My knowledge in development economics is rather slim, but I am confident in the overall process because the initial investment in water infrastructure in developing countries is the largest hurdle in creating a water distribution system. My main concern for the future is maintenance of the dams (problems in include sedimentation and structural integrity), pipes (these could wear out overtime), and other things. However, there are professional engineers from here and honduras that are deeply involved in both the planning and implementation.
While I was reading a general overview of the water projects in honduras associated with global brigades, I came upon a picture of some of the community members and I suddenly became nostalgic for my grandfather's orchard and the migrant workers he had worked with. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say with the parallels between my grandfather and the farmers I will meet...I guess I have always had more respect for people who sustain their existence from the land, knowing the back-breaking work that goes into it. I hope that I can speak with and understand them because I think I have a lot to learn on this trip; not only from working on a full-scale water project, but also conversing with people in a country I have never been to.
post-trip edit:
In terms of the typical sustainability problems associated with dams, the project will be long-lasting because it is a very small dam (structural integrity will not be as big of an issue and it was well-constructed) and, above the dam, there was a screen put in place to prevent sedimentation. I think the project will be able to be maintained because the community has a good understanding of how everything was put together, they were involved in the implementation. Also, there were valves put into place to release any sediment that made it's way into the pipes. According to Ben (one of the engineers), the PVC pipes would last a very long time.
Although I feel like I could have connected on a more personal level with the people in Los Pajarillos if I had known the language, I am thankful for the few and simple things I could ask and understand. The thing that threw me off was how much I enjoyed hanging out with the young ones. They were incredibly sweet and lifted my spirits when I was tired from carrying sand or digging trenches. It made me happy to know that this work, though my part was small, would be improve their future.