Monday, July 26, 2010

Playing at the party!!!

As mentioned in the post below, I held a party for some of the children living in the tent camp at Parc Izmery in Delmas 33, Port au Prince. The party was terrific. The children were wonderful and to see the joy in their faces to have a day to just play and have fun was such gift. They managed to extract a promise for another party in August. Dieudonne came over and was wonderful with the children; he brought soccer and tennis equipment and is going to get jump ropes for the next fete. We all played games and ate PB and J, cookies, and drank Tampico (a Haitian brand of juice; like Kool-Aid) all afternoon.  The big hit was when I brought out a gallon of chocolate ice cream and made ice cream cones for everyone. Most of them had never had an ice cream cone before. There was nothing to clean up or put away because they ate every last crumb and drop and they even took home the containers. They all left together about 5:30pm. It was a perfect day.”    Noelle Thabault, MD-PWW Haiti

Ice cream!!!

 Friday, July 23, 2010

So I just got back from Matthew 25 guesthouse and a visit with the children at the camp. I am having a party for the kids on Saturday afternoon with ice cream, PB and J sandwiches and soccer.  The list is growing with intense negotiations for invites. I left the invitation list up to to Neika, an 11 yr girl and Petrov a 9 yr boy. It started with 6 and when I left it was at 14 and growing by the minute. Who knows where it will end up. It will be a great afternoon. I made them all gather before I left so they could repeat to me what time to come (trois heures) and not one minute earlier; what day (Samedi) and how to behave (Bien). And anyone who misbehaves (Va t’en!)”

Noelle Thabault- PWW- Haiti

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A glimpse into life in Haiti…from a staff member…

“The lights are flashing, the electrician is here, the batteries aren’t working so even though the Electricite d’Haiti  (EDH) is on, since it’s going through the inverter and has nothing to charge, there are just little blasts of current getting through. The electrician is trying to figure out how to bypass the batteries; it’s sweltering… and I am afraid that my computer is going to crash with all these surges but I can’t unplug it because the battery is drained. Jean lost his keys again; he is worse than me with keys.  And we have this beautiful new generator that works great but we have no fuel. A perfect Haiti day. “

“The hell with it; I’m just going to have a drink and hope that the house doesn’t blow up.  Cheers.”

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Welcome – Abróchense los cinturones de seguridad

Monday, July 19, 2010.       Hello, I’m Jennie Kessler, a new volunteer for Pure Water for the World to be stationed in Trojes, Honduras.  This is the first of many blog posts that I will be writing this year to give a behind-the-scenes look at Pure Water’s projects in Honduras..

I’m already in awe of this country’s natural beauty, its cultural resources, and Pure Water’s operations.  I think I’m going to enjoy the year very much.

What I’ll be doing

Some of my major goals and responsibilities will be the following, though they may eventually be divided up with other volunteers:
•    Create a GIS (computerized map system) and printed maps depicting Pure Water’s work and related statistics
•    Help further develop the community training curriculum
•    Analyze water samples to measure the filters’ effectiveness
•    Analyze health data to measure the project’s impact

María hard at work in Pure Water’s Tegucigalpa office, which is actually in the twin sister city of Comayagüela.

I arrived in Tegucigalpa on Monday, July 12th, and have spent the week primarily getting oriented.  The two Tegus-based staff members picked me up from airport and we have been getting acquainted since then.  Maria Regina Inestroza is the Central American Director, and Oscar Armando Andino is the Assistant Director.  Both have been wonderfully friendly and patient.

The original plan was for Oscar to drive me straight to Trojes the next day, but heavy rains and mudslides rendered the road impassable, even washing out a bridge.  So I’m going to stay here in Tegus for a week so that I can put a good dent in the training curriculum with easy access to María, Oscar, and reasonably fast internet service.  I have worked on the community training curriculum for the last couple days and I think we’re off to a good start, with a solid concept for the content and format.  We also established the specifications and data sources for the GIS- computerized map system.

Oscar picks some mangos from the beautiful mossy garden outside María’s window.  The mango tree occasionally drops fruit on the roof (big bang).

Tegucigalpa at dusk.

Haitians continue to suffer the effects of that catastrophic event. One and a half million continue to live in camps in road medians, fields and open areas. In tent cities, sanitation, latrines and proper hygiene are still major issues.  Many are dependent on water trucked in as their only source of clean water. Those who have lost limbs or were injured continue to suffer due to lack of medical care. To compound their misery, it is the rainy season.

Pure Water continues its work in Port au Prince, and more specifically Cite Soleil, providing water to 80,000 people daily. The filter factory is again operational and producing bio sand filters. The PWW schools program is underway and the staff is continuing to assess schools where previously installed filters were damaged and will be replaced.

Pure Water has been working with numerous other organizations since the earthquake. Many have approached us asking that we provide clean water and hygiene education to the orphanages, health clinics, hospitals, and schools where they are working.  This cooperative approach has opened many doors with such organizations as – Save the Children, UNICEF, International Rescue Committee, World Vision and others.

Our staff continues to work tirelessly.  Whether it is working in the field, in the filter factory, or caring for the neighborhood children, they have performed magnificently during this difficult time and we are extremely grateful for their dedication.

The need continues in Haiti – the crises did not end when the major television networks left. We would like to thank all of our donors who have given of their time and funds to help support our work. Without your generosity, many would be living without a basic human right we take for granted – clean drinking water. 

Children carrying water in Cite Soleil

The Berlin, El Salvador project, for which Pure Water for the World was a consulting partner, was successfully completed in late April, 2010. 1000 filters were installed thus providing access to clean water for at least 7,000 people.  The project, started in 2007, was organized around a cooperative funding effort involving The Rotary Foundation with matching grants from the Rotary Clubs of Highland, NY, Indianola, IA and San Miguel, El Salvador along with the Companeros of Iowa.

With the installation of the filters, many of those served had access to clean water for the first time in their lives. Hygiene education increased their understanding of its importance to their quality of life.  The project staff members were dedicated.  The experienced health promoters conducted hygiene education workshops throughout the communities.

Stephanie King from the Highland (NY) Rotary club said “This was a wonderful, collaborative project. We had the cooperation of Rotary Districts in the US, Rotarians in El Salvador, the Companeros of Iowa (a faith-based group of organizations in Des Moines, IA,) and, of course, Pure Water for the World.  We achieved our goal to provide safe drinking water to 7,000 people living in a very remote area of El Salvador.”

In addition to Pure Water, other organizations worked together to ensure that this project was successful-

• Highland Rotary Club, Highland, NY
• Indianola, Rotary Club, Indianola, IA
• San Miguel Rotary Club, El Salvador
• The Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, Calgary, Canada,
• And many other individuals and organizations that were involved.

A completion celebration was held at the Casa Pastoral in Berlin, El Salvador. Many recipients from the small settlements in the Berlin area attended the celebration to share how this project, with access to clean water, has impacted and changed their lives.

Pouring water through the filter

My family and I would like to thank you very much for helping me to get the Hydraid Biosand Filter.
Since Saturday May 1st in the afternoon  I have installed the filter, my family and I since have access to get and to drink safe and pure water at home.
It was a pleasure for me to meet you at your Office on Thursday , and Daniel on Saturday at the factory of Pure Water of Haiti in the Aiport area on Batimat Road.

I will keep in touch with you and will be a partner and a supporter of the Pure Water for Haiti.

May God Bless you and also, Pure Water for Haiti and Pure Water for the World.

Patrick Chikel

This partnership is providing families in the delivery areas with clean water for drinking, cooking and maintaining personal hygiene. It has trained 50 teachers and principals (who had previously participated in the PWW schools’ program) as neighborhood health promoters.  The Health Promoters have received additional training to provide hygiene information to five thousand families in Cite Soleil. These teachers and principals are considered community leaders and live and work in Cite Soleil.

Because 90% of the reservoirs in schools where PWW previously had filter programs were damaged and unusable, the identification of usable sites was imperative. In a few weeks, more than 40 sites were selected. PWW is now delivering five liters of chlorinated water to 82,000 people per day – 60% are children. The majority of these delivery sites are in Cite Soleil with the remainder in the Fort National and Delmas areas of Port au Prince. Delivering water six days per week in the first month of the project, PWW delivered 520 tanker loads of water totaling 1,612,000 gallons of water.

“Pure Water for the World has become a lifeline for the people of Cite Soleil, especially when they needed it the most. In these areas where water is a scarce commodity, people need continuing support. Pure Water has been able to access unsecured sections of Cite Soleil and gained the acceptance of its community. Save the Children appreciates partnering with the PWW-Haiti project and looks forward to exploring avenues continuing our support of the children and their caregivers in Haiti,” said Donald Burgess of Save the Children in Haiti.

For each lost home, a family is in despair. There is no insuarance to buffer loss, no councilors to soothe the grief. The lucky ones only lost all worldly possessions. Many of the buildings still standing are condemned and must be torn down.

Open spaces are filled with tent cities. People sleep away from buildings. Fear of another quake is pervasive. Over 55 aftershocks of higher than five feed that fear. At night, tents claim many neighborhood streets.

Dust fills the air, coating everything, irritating eyes and throats. Rain clears the air, providing a brief respite, but the dust turns into a paste that envelops your shoes growing thicker with each step. I returned with a sinus infection.

Pictures are inadequate, failing to convey depth, detail and impact. The scenes envelop the senses, a photo being just a single frame from a movie. Night brings the hum of generators that eventually yield to a chorus of crickets, dogs and rooster. The serenade lasts all night building to a lively crescendo at dawn. People emerge. Those lucky enough, go to work. The schools still standing will not open for another month. Damaged homes are dismantled by hand, with a sledge and a chisel. Rubble is pushed to the curb. Workmen work to keep the rubble from impinging on the by-ways, and the dust multiplies. The roads are clogged with vehicles from colorful group taxis called “tap-taps”; large tanker trucks with water splashing from their spouts making deliveries to camps; UN and US soldiers cruising in their Hummvees, armed with helmets, flack jackets and rifles; NGOs in their new SUVs scurry to the next important meeting; trucks making deliveries; all added to the mix of normal people looking for some normalcy. Strung along the sidewalks in a shopping area, with collapsed stores at their backs, a ribbon of vendors offer clothes, house wares, a variety of fruits, vegetables and assorted foods. An artist’s paintings hang from a make shift fence, a soft breeze carries the scent of chicken on a grill at the corner and the crowd ambles by. Everything takes much longer than expected, nothing is constant except changing plans, and the dust is ever present. The sun fades and the generators find their voice.

People are rebuilding, homes are going up. Food, clothing, medicine and water are in good supply. The emergency response period is past and recovery mode is in full swing. The homeless upper class received the best tents, lesser tents for the middle class, group tents for the lucky poor, for many just tarps to cobble a shelter, all on a colorful canvass of broken dreams. The poorest of the poor have even less than before. The rainy season is coming, cholera and typhoid looming, and people go about picking up the pieces.

Pure Water for the World is engaged. We were first on the scene to create safe drinking water for camps of people after the quake. Currently we deliver five liters of drinking quality water per person, per day for 82,000+ people, mostly in the poorest areas.

There are many heroic stories to tell, but for Haitians, life moves on.

Your support enables us, thank you,

Byron Miller
Pure Water for the World Board Member

Succar has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is aware of our many efforts in place to produce pure water and the consequences when it is not available. Among his projects was the design of a theoretical plant aimed at converting salt water into pure water. He holds an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Supply Chain, Competitive Advantage and Cost Control from Arizona State University in Tempe, Florida.

Succar was born and received his early education in Haiti. As the Executive Director of AFS/Western Union and his private venture Delicious Fruits, Succar established relationships throughout Haiti in government and private business.

In his PWW application, Succar stated, “The main reason I am applying for this position is…that I want to be involved in a sector that can make a difference in the Haitian life. Bad water is the cause of so many diseases in Haiti ranging from chronic diarrhea to cholera. I am willing to further Pure Water of the World’s mission of making this resource available to the world.”

The goal of Pure Water for the World, Inc. is to prevent people from suffering and dying from contaminated water and its consequences of intestinal parasites and illness. We do this through local manufacturing of sand water filters and by providing sustainable, clean, safe drinking water systems to families, schools, and communities in developing countries. In Haiti, Pure Water for the World (PWW) provides a package of services to reduce disease and to improve the health of children by providing point-of-use water purification, teacher training, and hygiene education to schools. In 18 months, PWW has trained 1,640 teachers to provide hygiene education and placed filter systems in 725 schools serving over 202,000 students. Since the January 12 earthquake PWW has:

• Delivered 665 tanker loads of chlorinated water totalling about 7.8 million litres. At our recent daily rate of delivery we have been serving about 82,000 people with 5 litres of water per day, six days a week. About 85-90% of deliveries are to the Cite Soleil area.
• Trained 50 community hygiene promoters, former teachers and principals in Cite Soleil schools to go back into their communities and classes to promote good hygiene practices. Twenty-nine are currently working in Cite Soleil and 21 are to start work next week¸ budget permitting.
• Identified 40 water reservoirs to be used as drop points for water tankers.
• Appointed 25 water agents to supervise the distribution of water from the reservoir; we have implemented a system of checks of deliveries by the water agents to ensure that the contracted loads of water arrive and are distributed free to community members.

The Photo: L. to R: Mardi Jean Eric: Water Agent Soleil 4, Lanaud Derazin: Water Coordinator, Jean Succar: Country Director, Olivier Blaginy: Water Coordinator, Bob Mohr: President of the Board, And precious kids

As part of its continued support of Haiti relief efforts, Dow collaborated with several Boston-area hospitals and like-minded companies to bring more than $750,000 in donated medical equipment to those in need – specifically an anesthesia machine and other specialized surgical equipment – via a relief flight that took place this weekend from the U.S to Haiti.

The mission was one of the single, largest private sector relief efforts since a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the Republic of Haiti on January 12.

On its return flight to the U.S., the airplane transported more than 40 orphans who’ve been cleared for adoption by the U.S. State Department.

“The outpouring of support for both Haiti and Chile from the international community has been truly tremendous,” said Bo Miller, Global Director of Corporate Citizenship. “Contributions from Dow and Dow employees have helped provide tangible and meaningful aid to the survivors of these earthquakes as they rebuild their homes, their communities and their lives. We’re pleased that these donations are helping to support those in the human family at a time when they are in greatest need.”

Since the January quake, Dow has donated $500,000 to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, as well as an additional $250,000 through an employee matching gift program to support The United Nations World Food Programme. Nearly 2,000 Dow employees personally contributed more than $320,000 of their own funds to Haiti relief efforts as well.

Dow is also providing innovative product solutions to help meet some of the most basic needs of the Haitian people, such as the need for clean water. Two ultra filtration water systems from Dow are being built to provide much needed water to between 5,000 and 10,000 people a day in partnership with Pure Water for the World. Also, together with key customers, Dow has donated raw materials used in the manufacture of mattresses which will assist people who lost their homes and belongings.

According to Miller, these efforts are consistent with the Company’s corporate citizenship and sustainability missions and its commitment to address the world’s most pressing challenges

Dow’s initial donation to Chile will provide support and relief to those who’ve been seriously affected by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern region of Chile on February 27. Hogar De Cristo, a well-known and established relief organization based in Santiago, will receive $100,000 from Dow, while another $100,000 is being set aside for future rebuilding as the needs are fully assessed. The Company is also sending provisions from Santiago to Talcahuano to assist 70 employees located near the city.

About Dow
Dow combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2009, Dow had annual sales of $45 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 214 sites in 37 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

original article source

For Editorial Information:
Bob Plishka
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989 638 2288

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The popular Shenango choral group with Friends, will present a concert with proceeds benefiting Pure Water for the World and their Haiti recovery efforts. The concert will be held at the United Church in Nelson, BC, on Feb. 28, at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10 at Eddy music.

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The Selkirk Camerata chamber concert, being held on February 27, 2010, will benefit Pure Water for the World and their Haiti recovery efforts. The concert is at the Anglican Cathedral in Nelson, BC, and will begin at 7:30pm. The acoustics are wonderful! By donation.

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Press Release from Beltrami’s-

Beltrami’s is happy to announce that we are helping Pure Water for the World, an international aid organization (that just happens to be run by Rutland’s own Carolyn Meub) to raise $$ for Haitian relief.

Here’s the scoop:

**Have your family’s portrait created by Beltrami’s in the months of February or March.
**Donate as much as you want for your session fee (we usually charge $150 for a Family Portrait Session)…we’re asking for a $25 minimum, but please consider as much as you can because of the size of the need.

**100% of your session fee goes to Pure Water for the World!
Plus, you can get discounts when you order prints and even frames.

Call 802-773-8480 to schedule your family’s appointment!

This donation effort and program expires on World Water Day, March 22.

**$1200 gets a water purification set-up to 200 children in Haiti. How many kids do you think we can help?!

Here’s Beltrami’s Facebook…become a fan!

Here’s Beltrami’s website.

One more thing: Another kind of ‘aftershock’ of the Haiti earthquake is disease, and disease spreads easiest through bad sanitation and dirty drinking water. Many more people in Haiti will die without the help that Pure Water is and will provide. Please tell your friends about this so we can raise as much $$ as possible to send relief to our Haitian neighbors!!

Thanks so much!! -    Beltrami’s Studio

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BAI AND VJC HAVE TO HELP HAITI

Have To Help Haiti, a collaboration between Brattleboro Arts Initiative and the Vermont Jazz Center, is a benefit concert to raise desperately needed funds to support Haiti in the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquake.   The event will take place on Thursday February 4, 2010 at the Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro, and is being produced on a volunteer basis with 100% of the proceeds going to Pure Water for the World (PWW).

Pure Water for the World started its campaign in Haiti in early 2008. This national non-profit, which started right here in Brattleboro with groundbreaking effort by the Brattleboro Rotary Club, brings hygiene, education, and clean water to schools, clinics and orphanages. As of early 2010, PWW has provided clean water and hygiene education to 205,000 children in over 725 schools in Haiti.  Pure Water for the World Executive Director Carolyn Meub says “The best way you can help today is to provide a donation…. All funds collected will be used to provide clean water in Haiti.”

Have To Help Haiti will feature local and regional musicians and talent as well as guest speaker(s) from Pure Water for the World.  The event is currently scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. and run for about 2 hours.   Tickets will be a suggested donation of $20.00.  . Local restaurants are also supporting this community wide effort by donating a portion of sales that night to the Pure Water for the World Haitian Relief Fund.  Participating restaurants (so far) include The Tap Room, Peter Havens, and Three Stones.  Ticket outlets and performer line-up will be announced soon, but save the date.  For more information, call 802-380-2537.

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Musicains for Haiti Benefit Concert

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / 7:30pm
Alix Goolden Hall, 907 Pandora Avenue
Admission by donation

Performers Include:

Nancy Argenta – soprano
Ingrid Attrot - soprano
Laura Backstrom – cello
Kelly Charlton -  piano
Kenji Fuse – viola
Marcus Hissen – trombone
Robert Holliston – piano
Mary Rannie – bass
Jamie Syer – piano
Terence Tam – violin
Winifred Wood – piano
Victoria Children’s Choir
VCM Student Ensembles and Soloists

download PDF of concert poster

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Change the World Kids, Three Tomatoes Trattoria, and Dartmouth Medical School partner to raise money for Haiti.

The Change the World Kids’ belief is simple: No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.  A week after the earthquake in Haiti, kids our own age and their families are in crisis, homeless, critically ill or injured, and without the basic needs of life.  Our relief effort Teens Connecting Continents – Haiti is rapidly responding to the people of Haiti and creating events that will continue to help support them during the early stages of this disaster.

First, the urgent need in Haiti is financial support. Change the World Kids are partnering with Three Tomatoes Trattoria and Dartmouth Medical School to raise money for Haiti.  On the evenings of Tuesday January 26^th, Wednesday January 27^th, and Thursday January 28^th, Three Tomatoes Trattoria will donate $5 per dinner entrée ordered at each of their four locations to the relief effort in Haiti. You can dine and donate on January 26^th, 27^th and 28^th at Three Tomatoes Burlington, Williston, and Rutland, Vermont and Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The money raised these evenings will be distributed through Partners in Health (PIH) and Pure Water for the World.

These two non-profit organizations have deep roots, both in Haiti and in our community. PIH was co-founded by Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the current President of Dartmouth College, and Dr. Paul Farmer. PIH has provided health care in Haiti for almost 25 years and according to Dr. Kim, “Earthquake victims are streaming into PIH clinics in Haiti, which are located in rural areas that sustained less damage”. In support of PIH, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has sent 2 teams of medical personnel and 3,000 pounds of supplies. Change the World Kids, Three Tomatoes Trattoria, and Dartmouth Medical School hope that this fundraiser will be able to support current relief efforts and help begin the rebuilding process.

Pure Water for the World is a Vermont non-profit organization, which began its project in Haiti in 2008. Their goal is to reduce intestinal parasites and illness by preventing children from drinking contaminated water. This non-profit organization is even more critical to the children of Haiti than before. Today, Pure Water for the World sends the news that 205,000 children from 725 schools now have access to clean water in Port-au-Prince. Still far more children and adults remain dehydrated and threatened by waterborne diseases.

You can help change the story, the news, and the world for current and future generations. Join us at Three Tomatoes to enjoy a wonderful meal with family and friends, while raising money for the people of Haiti.

Visit changetheworldkids.org for information about additional events in the coming weeks.

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PRESS RELEASE

Rutland Helps Haiti Benefit Concert

Rutland Helps Haiti on February 5^th, 2010 with a benefit concert at the Paramount Theatre in Downtown Rutland at 7 pm brought to you by Catamount Radio, with all of the donations going to Pure Water For The World’s Haitian clean water initiative. Their mission is more important than ever in light of the recent earthquakes. Many are not aware that right here in our town, Rutland, Carolyn Meub and Pure Water have been hard at work in Haiti for years producing water filters to provide clean, safe drinking water, giving Haitians health and hope that leads to opportunity. Now, more than ever, Pure Water needs your help and Rutland has a long, proud history of coming through when called on. Clean water equals health, hope and opportunity and on Friday, February 5^th, you can make a real difference with your donation.

Caitlin Canty and Darlingside brought to you by Catamount Radio, Friday, February 5^th at 7pm at The Paramount Theatre.  Tickets are available at the door only, night of show, starting at 6pm for a suggested  $10.00 minimum donation, cash or check only, checks for any amount can be made out to: Pure Water. Help us fill the water filter. Together we can achieve our $10,000 fundraising goal, enough to help bring clean water to at least 5 schools. 100% of the donations from the benefit concert go directly to Pure Water For The World in Rutland, VT. Carolyn Meub will also be on hand to share the message of what is going on in Haiti today with the relief initiative and how your donations are going to make a real difference in the lives of those in need.

Caitlin Canty, an indie singer/songwriter, crafts her songs with maple-sugared vocals, blues-touched tones, and a percussive guitar. A Proctor, Vermont native now based in New York City, Caitlin spent her early years working on the production side of live music and backing up more established artists while quietly cultivating her own music. After finally escaping the cubicle, Caitlin swung around to the other side of the microphone and now performs regularly at The Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall and listening rooms across New England. Her fans compare her voice and songs to the likes of Patti Griffin, Norah Jones , and Bonnie Raitt. Caitlin sings often with Rachel Loshak and David Poe and has opened for John Hammond and Duncan Sheik. She has independently produced several EP’s and one full-length album, Green (2007) with a new multiple-part album to be released in 2010.

Darlingside is a string-rock quintet recently settled in Northhampton, MA. The band formed at Williams College, where they share the stage with such acts as Guster, The Format and The Ken Oak Band. Darlingside’s sound is characterized by elegantly crafted cello-violin duets, soaring harmonies, catchy hooks and compelling beats. Musical influences range from Radiohead to Nickel Creek, Beethoven to Phoenix. In 2010, these five multi-instrumentalists and their bold new songs are poised to explode onto stages all across the Northeast.

For more information and for complete benefit detail, be sure to listen to your favorite Catamount Radio Station or check out their website at www.catamountradio.com

We flew into Tegucigalpa, the capital city, and proceeded to Danli for the first nite. The next morning we visited the filter factory in Danli and then spent 3 hours on dirt roads up and down mountains to get to Trojes, a border/frontier town in the El Paraiso region. The trip lasted longer than usual because the rental van broke down and we had to wait for Pure Water to send 2 trucks from Trojes to take us the rest of the way.

We spent that afternoon visiting 2 schools. School was out that week, but at one school all the residents of the village had gathered to receive storage buckets for their clean water. At the second school, deworming medicine was given to all residents of another village who had received their water filters about 2 months prior. We had to dodge cattle and their byproducts and cross streams with thin wooden planks laid across them to get to the schools.

The next day we split into 2 crews. One crew worked on building latrines and the second crew installed water filters. The work assignments were switched on the second day. The villages were located quite high in the hills around Trojes and the paths to get from 1 house to the next were quite steep. The “roads,” where they existed, were in very bad shape and the 4 wheel drive trucks struggled at times to get us to the villages.

We visited villages where water filters had been installed in prior years and talked to the residents about the benefits they had received from the filters. Our trip also included some limited sightseeing and a tour of a cigar factory.

We had lunch with 4 members of the Danli Rotary Club, the president, president-elect, treasurer and foundation chair. It was very pleasant, but they have not received any funds from R.I yet and were not prepared to discuss how and when the Trinity Rotary/Danli matching grant project would begin or what role PWW would have in this grant..

The Hondurans are very friendly and appreciative of the effort to help them. The kids are adorable and love to see pictures of themselves. The trip was very gratifying and we encourage anyone who is interested to consider going on this trip in the future.