September 2024: GT Water Honduras Visit - Transforming Lives with Clean Water

Flying into Tegucigalpa, Honduras, you're greeted by a sea of green breaking through the cloud cover. Below lies a sprawling co-capital city, surrounded by loosely organized slums that stretch into the hills. The higher you go, the more impoverished the people become.

Groups of 30-50 people organize and elect a leader. They then move to the edge of public land bordering the last squatter settlement, measure out plots, and start building makeshift shelters from tin and tarp. Over the years, these structures evolve with rebar, cinder blocks, concrete, and even steel, gradually becoming more permanent.

In the beginning, these new homes lack basic utilities. Private water tanker trucks arrive first, charging $2 for 5 gallons of water of uncertain origin—a significant expense in a community where many earn $150 a month or less. Residents often resort to collecting rainwater or hiking miles to gather water rather than pay for it. After about three years, electricity reaches the homes. Ten to fifteen years later, local officials may survey the plots and issue land titles, allowing for the connection of running water and paved streets. While municipal water is generally free from major pathogens, many report skin rashes from drinking the untreated tap water.

This cycle of squatting continues up the steep dirt roads of the city hills, and this is where GT Water Honduras does some of its most impactful work.

On our first day in the field, we hosted an instruction and distribution event at a local church, far up the steep dirt roads. We typically distribute 10-30 water filter systems to the many women who attend, often with their children in tow. The children are excited and joyful to see visitors, while the women are focused on securing the welfare of their families. 

These women understand that with a GT Water filter system, they can protect their families from chronic diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, parasites, and other waterborne diseases. They know they can save time by not having to collect water from remote locations and save money that can go towards food, healthcare, and education by no longer relying on expensive water tanker trucks. Additionally, each family at the event received a bag of beans, a bag of rice, and a Smile kit (dental hygiene supplies).

The recipients left this event in good spirits, full of gratitude, and proud that they are taking steps to improve their families' welfare. Our local team received warm handshakes and hugs, with promises to return in the coming months to ensure the systems are functioning properly and being regularly used.

On the second day of our visit, we conducted a follow-up mission in a different location—a lower, older slum. Some of the recipients we visited have had their systems for as long as three years. They expressed their gratitude for the clean water that keeps their families healthy and saves them money.

With regular cleaning, the filter systems can last up to 25 years. Our local team always asks how often the recipients clean their filters, which is a simple process of reversing water through the filter with a provided syringe. Some clean the filter daily (a bit excessive), most every 7-14 days (the recommended schedule), and one household mentioned cleaning every 3-4 weeks. The GT Water Honduras team reviewed the laminated instruction card attached to the bucket with the client and suggested more frequent cleanings.

While field visits are the highlight of the trip, we also spent valuable time with our local team discussing current operations and future plans. We inspected the warehouse and workshop and were pleased to see the most recent shipments of materials filling the warehouse to the rafters, knowing that these systems will soon be deployed to new families in need.

In the end, this endeavor is about people—whether our many clients or our local team and suppliers, we are making a difference in their lives and the lives of their families. They are growing up healthier, living safer, and their children are receiving an education—all because of regular access to clean water (~$1.89 per person for a lifetime of water).

They are living better lives because of you, our supporters, and our local team members.

The outstanding memories from this recent trip are the smiles and laughter of the children. Watching them at the event, I couldn’t help but think that they now have a better chance in life because of clean water. Hopefully, they will break the cycle of poverty and make it out of the slums. While we can’t guarantee this will happen, we know that access to clean water has greatly improved their odds.

GT Water Project is a small, lean non-profit that has provided clean water to over 935,000 people in Honduras and Haiti since 2016. We work through fairly paid local teams and have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local community by paying salaries, procuring services, and buying supplies. While we are constantly striving to do more and serve more, we are content knowing that for the clients we have served, the clean water filter system has made a significant and tangible difference in their lives.