As many of you know, clean water is one of the pubic health foundations to wellness. In Guatemala, there is no municipality with clean water. For those who can afford it, bottled water is the only real option to avoid illness. This is not just in Guatemala of course, many countries struggle with safe, clean water. Yet in the region we serve in rural Guatemala, most people do not have the money to pay for bottled or purified water. Because of this, many transmissible illnesses (diarrheal and other) are endemic in the poor mountainous region we serve. In fact, almost all patients we serve have parasites in their intestine which comes from contaminated water. We treat each patient for these parasites but they can cause significant health issues, especially among younger or older patients.
Camotan Clinic has been working with other non profits who focus on this problem for several years. While all the water in the clinic is purified (bought commercially and placed in water dispensers in the clinic), this is rare. And as we work more and more with the public health facilities in the area surrounding Camotan, we realized they operate, clean instruments, clean wounds and dispense drinking water with contaminated water. They just do not have the money to buy purified water.
With this problem in mind, Camotan Clinic approached one of our partners: Living Waters for the World to consider placing a water purification system in local health clinics (including ours). Their local branch is run by the 1st Presbyterian Church in Englewood just outside Denver. The idea for this started several years ago. For logistical reasons, Camotan Clinic decided to wait on placing such a system in our clinic. But we kept in touch with team at First Presbyterian. Finally this year, as our relationship with the public hospital in Chiquimula (the closest hospital to Camotan, about 45 min away) grew, we approached the hospital to see if they would be able to receive a water filtration system. Their answer was an excited “yes”!!
So in August, the 1st Presbyterian team and Living Waters for the World partnered with the public hospital in Chiquimula to install a water purification system. With their relatively compact system, they can filter hundreds of gallons of water a day: this is enough for all the patients and all water needs in the hospital which has 400-500 beds. In fact there will be enough for the hospital to sell or use in other facilities.
Living Waters for the World team installing the purification system in the Chiquimula public hospital
This was such an exciting time for the hospital and for Camotan Clinic and Living Waters for the World. Each region of Guatemala (there are 18 regions) has a public hospital which serves the vast majority of the populace. For the small percentage of Guatemalans who can afford it, there are private hospitals. But with the majority of the country in significant poverty, the public hospital is the only option for health care. And this is a first for a public hospital: partnering with an organization to have clean water.
System nearly a go….
Barry Mayhew of Living Waters for the World (L), Chiquimula hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Danilo Salazar (Center) and pastor Loye Troxler (R) of 1st Presbyterian of Englewood dedicate the system
So, very exciting times! We at Camotan Clinic were so grateful to the Living Waters team. And we know that this system will positively affect hundreds of patients daily. To those of you who continue to support us and the work we do, also a thank you. Your support, whether it be logistical, medical donations, prayers or financial, keeps us working toward goals; even if it takes time to see them through. The benefit of this system will be felt for many years to come. Thank you.
And thank you for reading!
For those of you interested in a 3+minute engineering level explanation of how the system works, watch Barry Mayhew below show you!