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.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day 28 – Wednesday 6/29/2011

Today the volunteers from the colonia came through in full force. One of the women who had been unable to come on Tuesday had rounded up two other women and their children and met us at Pastor Ubence's church, ready to work. In total there were three women and about ten children. We were also fortunate to have the help of one of the older boys from the photography group. We all met up at around 9am and headed to the site of the 2nd check dam, which we decided to place about a hundred feet above the first dam. We started by explaining the steps involved in constructing the dam, discussed safety, and then dove into our work. Within a few hours the volunteers and their children had rounded up most of the rocks we would need and the ditch had been cleared out to make room for the rocks. With the sun beat down upon us, we made numerous trips to the two pulperias (convenience stores) across the street from us to by water and other refreshments. The team learned the precise method for filling plastic baggies full of drinks, tying a knot in them in just the right spot, and biting off one corner of the baggie to get at the delicious liquid inside. We were again grateful to Ricardo's pulperia for storing our tools in his home/shop and loaning us the large steel pipe that we used to bend the rebar. We were also grateful for the drinks he provided to the team and volunteers.




The rock shown above was stubborn and unwilling to move, but with pick axes, crowbars, and a lot of effort the team and volunteers were able to overcome its strength. The space left behind was refilled with a much larger rock, which would help to reinforce the sides of the dam.



By around 130pm the group and team had completed the project. We all felt extremely proud as we gathered around to take this photo.  Afterwards, we gave a bag with rice, beans, plantains, salt, and manteca vegetal (vegetable lard) to each family represented. The women told us that they enjoyed learning how to build the dam and made sure we had their phone numbers stored in our phone, emphasizing that they were at our disposal if we ever needed them. 
It was a good day.
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