Friday, December 24, 2010

feliz navidad

Merry Christmas everyone!  We hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.  Many staff and volunteers at AMOS are also spending time with family, so we'll be back in action after the first week of January.  Should be a great year - check back here often to see what's happening.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

El Obraje

We just recently installed 79 biosand filters in the community of El Obraje. These filters can provide up to 10 gallons of water per day for 10 years, at a cost of slightly less than $0.07/day.

creative energy

It takes creative energy to hold things together. A family, a friendship, a garden, a community. Each one must be cultivated and maintained. You watch for weeds and pull them quickly, otherwise you'll be overrun. But not only this; seeds must be planted. What do you want to grow?

One thing that has captured my imagination this month is the way that AMOS helps to organize communities. In essence, they seek to empower local leaders to love and care for their neighbors. It all starts with a census and the attitude, "Everyone counted and everyone counts." The members of the health committee go to EVERY house in their community, learning names, counting how many people are in each household, and identifying those who are most at risk for illness & disease. This list forms the foundation for preventive care (for example, checking on mothers when their babies are due) and helps to ensure that no one is left behind.

Often when aid is given, it goes to the strongest and most able-bodied - those who can make it to the distribution point. Many times, the most vulnerable are left in the dark, too weak or unaware to get help. By knowing everyone in the community, the leaders can ask, "Who is missing here? Are they ok?"

What a beautiful question for people in every community. "Who is missing here? Who is hurting? Let's go to them and see how we can help."