Featured Guest Speaker | April 2

 
Bruce has been a Rotarian for 16 years. He strongly recommends attending an international convention and loves meeting people from all over the world. He thanked us for all the wonderful work our club has done and highlighted our current and past service partners.
 
There’s poverty all over the world, but in Guatemala there’s no “safety net” for when things fall apart. 26% of the world lacks safe drinking water, and 46% lack access to safely managed sanitation. For example, a volcano destroyed a water spring and Fr. Greg brought a firetruck to help bring water to towns. The Panimaquip system has been adopted after the deadly Hurricane Stan in 2005.
 
Bruce shared pictures of San Lucas Toliman (1972) and a current picture of their Agua del Pueblo office, run entirely by Guatemalans. They were founded during the civil war. 5% were brutally killed during the 25 year war. Two American priests were assassinated during this time.
 
Guatemala now has the highest GDP in all of Central America. They are rich in commodities, but the distribution of wealth has put them at one of the highest poverty rates in the world. Drastic race differences between the Mayans and ladinos.
 
WASH is a water and sanitation project that provides clean water to inhabitants all around Lake Atitlan. Improved sanitation will help preserve the lake and prevent the growth of the blue green algae. Water allows locals to invest in livestock and improve their lives. Digging wells by hand is the result of the government attempting to control it’s citizens and keep them in poverty. Walking miles to obtain fresh water, for example, takes hours out of their day. They are in their 4th phase of the “Save the Lake” project, all which are funded by global grants and support from the Rotary Foundation and clubs all over the world.
 
A common issue, as recent as 2017, is that girls are not staying in school due to the lack of privacy and bathroom resources.
 
Bruce presented a schematic of a water treatment system that also produces a fertilizer and water that can be re-used for irrigation.
 
In addition to public health, there is a level of raising consciousness, developing tax collecting and joint decision-making to improve their community. Road development, electricity, and school planning has resulted after the water projects. One other big shift is allowing indentured employees to live on their land (previously working on the fincas and treated like slaves.) Today, very few families have reliable water - only the wealthy families. Reforestation is also an ongoing issue.
 
Bruce is asking us to think about anyone who might want to plan a 10-day trip to learn more about the continued development in this town. The next trip will be in Jan. or Feb. 2025 and they need a minimum of 5 participants. If you are interested, reach out to Bruce at 864.423.5559 or bruce@aguadelpueblo.org or bruce.wayne.clemens@gmail.com.