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.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day 18 - Sunday 6/19/2011

At around 9:30 in the morning, Enrique picked Mercedes up so she could see the rice and beans distribution system. While in the colonia, she got to meet the president and secretary of the Policarpo colonia and set an appointment to meet with them. Monday at 4pm.

In the evening, Josh, Mercedes, and McWane went into the colonia to pick up Elias's trash and to complete a household survey with him. While we waited for Elias to get home, we filled out a survey with his father, who is a true jack of all trades: artist, musician, gardener, socialite, politician…He has been a good resource. Interestingly, he informed us that he learned about bamboo when the UN visited Honduras to offer recommendations regarding sustainability.

Later in the evening, Trey stopped by to chat with us. He spoke at length about how annoyed the locals are about the mainland "invasion." This seems to be one of the biggest issues right now, one that impacts a lot of people. It seems increasingly important that we find ways to involve locals in our projects. This means we are going to have to do a lot more travelling to get to the other communities to do assessment. Fortunately, we were given the name of a promising contact who we will hopefully be able to speak with soon.
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