International Youth Day

By Eliza Breed, PWW Intern

International Youth Day is a United Nations event that is held on August 12th every year since 1999.
This day is dedicated to younger people around the world who step up to improve their community,
country, and world. Each year has a different theme. This year, the theme is “The Road to 2030:
Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production.” This theme focuses on the
“2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” a plan created to eradicate poverty by creating sustainable
solutions. Pure Water for the World prides itself on sustainable projects that improve a community over
time.

Pure Water for the World is celebrating International Youth Day! I interviewed three younger staff
members working with the Honduras team: Marion Nonglaton, the Trojes Project Coordinator; Luis
Zuniga, a health promoter; and Margie Zepeda, also a health promoter.

How old are you?

Marion: “24. I will be 25 on the 26th of August.”

Luis: “25.”

Margie: “27.”

Marion in Trojes

Marion talks with Trojes community members

How did you get involved in Pure Water for the World?

Marion: “I studied in Cranfield University 2013/2014. During this time, I was involved with one association called SAFAD (Silsoe Aid for Appropriate Development). The aim of this organization is to send recently graduated students of Cranfield University to a volunteer program for 6 months to one year with an organization around the world. Mario Goeb, ex project coordinator for Pure Water for the World in Honduras, was the president of SAFAD back in 2011. Pure Water for the World was looking for a volunteer and through SAFAD, I applied for it. After my graduation I traveled for 2 months in Spain in order to practice my Spanish, and then I traveled to Honduras. After I arrived in Honduras, Mario asked me if I would be willing to be project coordinator.”

Luis: “Pure Water for the World was looking for new personal for the NGO, and I had heard a bit about the work they were doing in the municipality of Trojes. I applied for the job and after an interview I had been accepted has a health promoter.”

Margie: “I heard that Pure Water for the World was looking for health promoters.  I asked to some of the current staff what were the requirements in order to apply, and I sent my personal documents. I only waited a few days in order to receive the call and have a date for the interview. I waited impatiently for 3 days to know if I had been selected or not. When I finally received the call, I had a lot of emotions because I was going to start working with Pure Water for the World.”

 

Honduras-1024

Luis reviews the hygiene poster with a Trojes family

What would you tell someone who is interested in global development?

Marion: “I would tell them to watch out for the type of organization they go with. It is true that there are billions of NGOs in the world, and only a small part are doing sustainable work. A lot of NGOs focus on implementation and not on followup of projects. I would also tell them that it is not an easy job, because since you become passionate about the people, you work a lot. But, I would also tell them not to hesitate one second, it is a really rewarding job.”

Luis: “I would tell them that it is a difficult job but with effort and perseverance you can do a lot. Development is a process with various steps, and at the end, community or international project, there will be a lot of obstacles but it will always be an awesome experience.”

Margie: “International development is a difficult task but it has to be done. Work in the development area
varies, but the development of hygiene training is really interesting and really needed because of the lack
of information in this area. All the population needs to have the basic knowledge.”

 

CN3A5317

Margie talks with community members during a de-worming campaign

Why do you think Pure Water for the World creates sustainable solutions?

Marion: “I think Pure Water for the World provides sustainable solutions thanks to the strong education program that we provide, and also the supervision and monitoring that we are doing. It is not always easy to include this part in grants, but even without a lot of money, Pure Water for the World succeeds to supervise and monitor the communities. I also think that Pure Water for the World learns from its errors and tries to evaluate every year. Pure Water for the World works in only one municipality in Honduras. This allows us to have an office with spare parts for the filters. When people have an issue with the filters that they cannot fix, community members can come into the office and ask for help for buying spare parts.”

Luis: “Because it is very complete, Pure Water for the World educates people in our programs very
well.”

Margie: “Pure Water for the World has a training program for beneficiaries, which is a series of
requirements they have to fulfill. The education achieves the behavioral changes in terms of hygiene
practices in the communities which have bad practices, as well as reinforces the good hygiene practices.”

What is a lesson you have learned from working with Pure Water for the World?

Marion: “Every answer is inside us, without knowing it, we have a really strong knowledge about
approximately everything. As a team we can do anything, we can develop any kind of program if we put
our knowledge together.”

Luis: “There is no major satisfaction in life other than being able to help the people the most in need.”

Margie: “The development of my own capacities in order to develop capacities in other persons is
something I learned with Pure Water for the World. I also learned the importance of humility, help, and
collaboration for other people.”

There are many people working with Pure Water for the World, and all are creating sustainable, positive
change. To celebrate International Youth Day, Pure Water for the World wanted to highlight these young
staff members because they are inspiring, dedicated, and humble. Thank you, Marion, Luis, and Margie
for the work you do, it benefits so many people!

Honduras-1882

Marion, Margie and Luis with other members of the PWW-Honduras team