A Research Project in Roatan, Honduras

Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands, located 35 miles north of mainland Honduras. The island is approximately 3 miles wide and 30 miles long with a resident population of 65,000. The local economy is dominated by tourism- the tropical setting with resorts, beaches, and reef diving are the primary attractions. Visitation has increased substantially- from 15,000 in 1990, to 700,000 in 2010, and 1 million plus expected in 2011. Visitors arrive by airline, ferries from the mainland, or cruise ships that make frequent stops at the two docks recently constructed for them.

Colonia Policarpo is the largest of four colonias clustered in a relatively new settlement that lies on a steep hillside on the northwest side of the island near Sandy Bay. Most of the colonia residents have migrated from mainland Honduras seeking service and construction jobs in the tourism industry. Policarpo has approximately 520 households and 3,000 residents, half under age 16. Prior to 2006, most colonia residents obtained their drinking water from rainwater catchment or shallow hand dugs well subject to pollution. Since that time Living Water 4 Roatan (LW4R), a non-governmental organization, has worked with Policarpo residents to develop a self-sustaining water system that provides treated drinking water to households on a limited basis.

The Global Partnership Project student organization at Northern Arizona University (GPP-NAU) is collaborating with this community, LW4R, and a local health clinic in an effort to improve the quality of life in the colonia. This partnership is considered to be a multi-year endeavor between NAU and Colonia Policarpo. The long term goals for this and future trips include:

- Build relationships in Roatan and within the colonia community.
- Provide for adequate sanitation systems to all residences to reduce the chances of disease outbreaks such as cholera, malaria, and dengue fever.
- Expand and improve the water system, reduce the energy costs for operating it.
- Provide for adequate solid waste collection and erosion control.
- Perform social network mapping and interviewing to gain a better understanding of the community and their needs, particularly for public works improvements.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Trip Planning - Josh

My Platoon Sergeant in the Army used to say, "piss poor planning makes for piss poor results." He was 100% right. So, what have we been doing for the past weeks, months and semesters? Planning. Now, we're in high gear, getting it done and squaring the details away.

For the past two weeks I've taken it upon myself to learn ArcGIS in preparation for data collection and mapping of the Colonia Policarpo, as well as points of interest (POI's) on the island. It may be redundant to say, but each of my team members and myself will be collecting geographic data that will hopefully be used to develop a clear plan for future projects in Roatan.

I will be conducting an energy assessment of the community's water distribution energy use, as well as the residential usage. Electricity is expensive over there, up to 45 cents a kilowatt-hour. Given that more than half of the community can't find work on the island, cutting costs when there's no money to spend can be vital to social and economic growth.

Mcwane, our faithful project leader, will be assessing the community's solid waste and erosion issues. The ground in the colonia is littered from the top of the valley to bottom with trash. It makes you beg the question; what would you do if there was nothing to do with your trash? Well, like many third world communities, you throw your trash on the ground.

This is a health risk, not to mention the effects it has on the environment. The island gets plenty of rain and this washes all of those contaminants into the ocean, where it is bleaching the coral and causing unknown damage to the marine ecosystem.

Another issue with rain is erosion. This means roads are washed out, the land side is washing away, and it's likely that homes are at risk. One major land slide could wipe out half or more of the community. That's 5000+ plus people in danger.

Mcwane will be mapping the watershed, how the water flows down the valley, in order to assess how we can prevent property damage and disaster in the future. In addition, we will be constructing erosion control structures while on the island to begin the process. Seeing how the land side, soil and watershed react to these structures will give us invaluable data for the future.

Our project anthropologist, Mercedes, will be conducting research about the social structures and relationships on the island. She will be implementing a "Youth Participatory Project" in the community in which she will collect data from a group of youths. This project will help us to build a relationship of trust and an atmosphere of building for the future.

Working with us and giving us direction through all of this is our project mentor, Shannon Clark. Shannon has been great, giving us guidance, making contacts and providing his own professional experience as a Forest Service engineer. He is indispensable.

One more project, of course. In order to bring this community and their needs to the light of our American eyes, I will be bringing my professional camera equipment in order to record footage for a documentary of the island. Having a story to tell and a platform to present it on is the cornerstone of developing awareness. We will tell the story of the youth of Roatan, the past, present and hopeful future of the colonia, and bring it to those who will listen. I hope my experiences producing video will make this a worthwhile venture.

As far as the geographic information system (GIS) goes, I've come a long way. Two weeks of intensive self-learning and working with local data has taught me a lot. I will be combining the data Mcwane, Mercedes and I collect and pouring it into an integrated GIS. This will hopefully set a precedent for Global Partnership Project (GPP) projects in the future as a vital first step in making decisions.

On top of developing the GIS, I will be writing a manual for future teams to use to gather, organize and report on data using GIS software.

So, the future looks bright. This trip will be a first step in improving the lives of the community in Roatan. As the flagship trip of the newly formed GPP, I hope we set a high standard for excellence in humanitarian aid. The world needs more and more of us to make a difference.
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