Honduras, Our Little Roses, Water Filter System Maintenance and Training Project
On May 16, 2019 we returned to Our Little Roses orphanage for girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to perform
maintenance on the water purification system we installed in 2018. We replaced the filters, checked the UV bulb
and then filmed a training video as the staff from OLR got some hands-on experience on how to perform standard
maintenance. The system is working well but it lacks a refrigerated water fountain and an outlet to fill 5 gallon
water jugs. We will return in a few months to install a new water fountain and modify the plumbing so they can
refill 5 gallon water jugs with purified water. In the past year Honduras has experienced increased water
contamination and the people are becoming more aware of the status of the water they drink. Bottled water is
still the most common solution used by most people. Bottled water dispensed from 5 gallon jugs is expensive
and can still be unreliable due to lack of controls and assurances of the quality of the water being sold. Our
system will reduce the dependency OLR has on bottled water and over time it will save money and be more
reliable as they gain experience using and maintaining the system. We delivered an additional replacement UV
bulb and (6) filter cartridges so they should have sufficient supplies to operate the system for 18 months.
While we were at the home we visited Holy Family Bilingual School and paid a short visit to a few of the classrooms. Our group read to the kindergarten class. When we finished the class ran though some of their English lessons showing us how they know all their colors, foods, animals and shapes. Rick stopped in with the 5th grade class and gave one of his favorite origami/paperfolding/power of 2 lessons. He combines art, science and math holding the attention of all the students for 15 minutes on subjects they earlier claimed to not like. We had some time to have lunch in the girls dining hall and spend time just talking and playing with many of the girls in the home. We call this our ministry of presence.
The next day, Saturday, Rick and Cordella paid for a bus to take 40 of the girls on a field trip to the beach. We all enjoyed entrance at a hotel in Puerto Cortez where we had lunch, played volley ball, swam in the pool and in the ocean, flew kites and just enjoyed our time together.
Our Little Roses has been operating for 30 years and typically cares for 75 girls rescued from horrible abuse and abject poverty. We have been supporting and visiting Our Little Roses since 2004 and we plan to keep returning. The water purification system we installed helps reduce the dependency on purchasing bottled water. We hope to install more systems in their other facilities school, retreat center and office.
What's Next?
This is the type of water filling station we hope to install before the end of 2019. Click image for more info
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