DR PURE WATER - CONT'D
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Pg 2-History &
Mission
Pg 3-Report 2009
Pg 4-Mission
Details
Pg 5-Human
Interest
Pg 6-Pure Water
Project
Pg 8-PW Cont'd
Pg 9-PW Cont'd
Pg 10-PW Cont'd
Pg 2-History &
Mission
Pg 3-Report 2009
Pg 4-Mission
Details
Pg 5-Human
Interest
Pg 6-Pure Water
Project
Pg 8-PW Cont'd
Pg 9-PW Cont'd
Pg 10-PW Cont'd
The Dominican Republic is a dangerous place insofar as health is concerned. The
population there harbors diseases that we do not find where I make my home in
Lake Placid, NY: typhoid fever, pin worms, dysentery, polio, malaria, measles, etc.
The lack of hygiene; the overcrowded slums in the cities; the lack of good medical
care; the absence of universal vaccinations, and the general unavailability of good
safe potable water are all factors which keep the spark of disease outbreaks
glowing hotly, ever ready to ignite raging infernos of epidemics. While we are in the
Dominican Republic, we often succumb to gastrointestinal upsets, and we fight off
parasites, malaria, hepatitis, and typhoid fever with prophylactic medication.
The whole team is frustrated because we cannot remedy this situation. We will
never boast of victory. Although we fail at total remediation, WE DO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE! The medical team treated the better part of 1,000 patients in the
week that we worked at Gautier and at Buen Pastor. However, if we only saved one
life or even just improved the quality of one life, we would consider the mission a
success. Numbers, body counts, or the score lose their meaning where people’s lives
are concerned. You just have to do all that you can do. Believe me, we accomplish
all that we possibly can. Everyone leaves the Dominican Republic with the sense of
deep satisfaction of knowing that we have done the best that we possibly could
given all the limitations we are burdened with. On this trip, I knew that I needed
to accomplish three goals. First, there is a great need to improve the system for
promoting and distributing the home water purifiers. Next, something had to be
done about the deterioration and disuse of the small water treatment plant at Buen
Pastor. Finally, it is real necessity to educate more extensively about the
importance of drinking only uncontaminated water.
Because it was my third trip, and because I wear the same hat and show up every
year bearing plastic buckets, everybody remembersmy name. “Three is the charm”,
they say, and, indeed, this year the folks at Gautier really treated me as an old
friend. Because of my reputation, I was able to enter into some serious, candid
discussions. These discussions not only increased my understanding of the facts of
our prevention program, but, more importantly, the people and I grew closer. This
closeness came from both directions. It seemed that the people appreciated my
desire and eagerness to learn from them. They needed to realize that I did not
consider myself as a superior being, who glowed in the dark and condescended to
dole out home water purifiers to insignificant savages, but as an equal, united with
them in the common goal of preventing illnesses. Working together, we had to solve
the problem of having the church priest in charge of the distribution of the water
purifiers. The priest only came to the community for two church services each
week, was occupied with the services, and did not have time to devote to home
water purification. The Priest, Reverend Margarita, was in charge of the church but
was really not close to the people of the community because of the itinerant nature
of her ministry . We concurred that the St. Thomas church had to sell the home
water purifiers because, if they were given away, then the purifiers
would all disappear right away but, regrettably, very few would be used for their
intended purpose. However, we had to solve the problem of how those people who
had no money and who needed the home purifiers most desperately could obtain
them. We decided that the price would not be the same for everyone. We
concluded that we needed to empower some trustworthy local people to pass
judgment on what price to charge. We devised a test: if a person could afford to
buy bottled water and was actually buying bottled water, then this person could
afford the official price of 500 pesos. However, if a person could not afford to buy
bottled water, then this person would qualify for a reduced price and, depending on
the individual’s circumstances, might even qualify to get a home water purifier for
free. For example, with Reverend Margarita’s blessing and upon the request
of Nicolas (a warden of the St. Thomas church), I gave a water purifier free of
charge to a lady with no husband and no income who had 5 children, all infected with
pin worms.
population there harbors diseases that we do not find where I make my home in
Lake Placid, NY: typhoid fever, pin worms, dysentery, polio, malaria, measles, etc.
The lack of hygiene; the overcrowded slums in the cities; the lack of good medical
care; the absence of universal vaccinations, and the general unavailability of good
safe potable water are all factors which keep the spark of disease outbreaks
glowing hotly, ever ready to ignite raging infernos of epidemics. While we are in the
Dominican Republic, we often succumb to gastrointestinal upsets, and we fight off
parasites, malaria, hepatitis, and typhoid fever with prophylactic medication.
The whole team is frustrated because we cannot remedy this situation. We will
never boast of victory. Although we fail at total remediation, WE DO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE! The medical team treated the better part of 1,000 patients in the
week that we worked at Gautier and at Buen Pastor. However, if we only saved one
life or even just improved the quality of one life, we would consider the mission a
success. Numbers, body counts, or the score lose their meaning where people’s lives
are concerned. You just have to do all that you can do. Believe me, we accomplish
all that we possibly can. Everyone leaves the Dominican Republic with the sense of
deep satisfaction of knowing that we have done the best that we possibly could
given all the limitations we are burdened with. On this trip, I knew that I needed
to accomplish three goals. First, there is a great need to improve the system for
promoting and distributing the home water purifiers. Next, something had to be
done about the deterioration and disuse of the small water treatment plant at Buen
Pastor. Finally, it is real necessity to educate more extensively about the
importance of drinking only uncontaminated water.
Because it was my third trip, and because I wear the same hat and show up every
year bearing plastic buckets, everybody remembersmy name. “Three is the charm”,
they say, and, indeed, this year the folks at Gautier really treated me as an old
friend. Because of my reputation, I was able to enter into some serious, candid
discussions. These discussions not only increased my understanding of the facts of
our prevention program, but, more importantly, the people and I grew closer. This
closeness came from both directions. It seemed that the people appreciated my
desire and eagerness to learn from them. They needed to realize that I did not
consider myself as a superior being, who glowed in the dark and condescended to
dole out home water purifiers to insignificant savages, but as an equal, united with
them in the common goal of preventing illnesses. Working together, we had to solve
the problem of having the church priest in charge of the distribution of the water
purifiers. The priest only came to the community for two church services each
week, was occupied with the services, and did not have time to devote to home
water purification. The Priest, Reverend Margarita, was in charge of the church but
was really not close to the people of the community because of the itinerant nature
of her ministry . We concurred that the St. Thomas church had to sell the home
water purifiers because, if they were given away, then the purifiers
would all disappear right away but, regrettably, very few would be used for their
intended purpose. However, we had to solve the problem of how those people who
had no money and who needed the home purifiers most desperately could obtain
them. We decided that the price would not be the same for everyone. We
concluded that we needed to empower some trustworthy local people to pass
judgment on what price to charge. We devised a test: if a person could afford to
buy bottled water and was actually buying bottled water, then this person could
afford the official price of 500 pesos. However, if a person could not afford to buy
bottled water, then this person would qualify for a reduced price and, depending on
the individual’s circumstances, might even qualify to get a home water purifier for
free. For example, with Reverend Margarita’s blessing and upon the request
of Nicolas (a warden of the St. Thomas church), I gave a water purifier free of
charge to a lady with no husband and no income who had 5 children, all infected with
pin worms.
