 What Ted's MISSION accomplished this past year. Thanks to the thousands who helped and contributed! You've made a difference in the world and you've addressed problems identified as crucial by the United Nations. |
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Click here to see what's happening now to continue the mission next year! |
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| Summary
of the Wells of Hope Project Guatemala October 2004-May 2005 WELLS Sufficient wells were successfully drilled to provide water for approximately 16,000 people. Drilling was challenging, as no geological or hydrological data was available to the team. Water was usually found at depths of 400 feet or more after drilling through tough volcanic rock. WATER DISTRIBUTION Each community formed a water committee and many meetings were held to determine the most effective method of distributing well water. The municipality of Jalapa agreed to provide electricity to each well site while the communities provided the labour to install the 400 electrical poles. The electricity to power the wells must be paid for and the water committees with Ted's assistance determined a fair method. SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION Schools were constructed in 3 communities: La Puerta, Matazano and Los Cruzes. Schools were constructed of concrete block with metal roofs and poured concrete floors. Each school has 3 classrooms. SEWING CLASSES Sewing classes were held at the camp on sewing machines donated from Canada. Miriam was the lead teacher with help from Canadian visitors. Local women made clothing and other household necessities. Some women walked for 2 hours (one way) to get to the classes. ENGLISH CLASSES Peter taught English classes, with assistance from Sarah and Chantal. Classes were taught at La Puerta, Laguna El Pito, Los Cardones and La Paz. Students ranged in age from 5 to 35.
All of the well-related work was done in La Montana Santa Maria, which has some 30 villages. These villages are 6-30 kilometers from the main town of Jalapa. Village leaders soon realized that it was essential for our team to have accurate information in order to provide the most effective assistance. Ted attended countless community meetings to assist local leaders in organization. Local leaders were then able to pursue Guatemalan government officials for assistance in matters such a providing electrical power. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE A medical doctor from Niagara-on-the-Lake volunteered in Guatemala for 10days. During that time she saw a tremendous number of patients in several locations. Medications were provided to people who needed them. The doctor also organized the purchase of a special hearing aid for a young man who struggled for 10 years with a hearing impairment. DENTAL ASSISTANCE Dental care was provided by a Guatemalan dentist who was assisted by a dentist from Niagara-on-the-Lake. COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE The local communities were assisted in several ways. Through the Warehouse of Hope school furniture was provided to the constructed schools. School supplies were provided ( paper, pencils etc). Canadian visitors brought clothing and school supplies that were donated to the local communities. Through their association with Wells of Hope, local community leaders improved the effectiveness of their organizations. DEMONSTRATION GARDEN A demonstration garden using sweat hose irrigation was constructed at the camp. Its purpose was to show local people how to grow food using a limited supply of water. A local university student was doing further study on the garden to determine how and where it could be implemented. The garden produced vegetables for consumption in camp. CROCHETING CLASSES Ted's mother and Margaret taught a number of women and young girls the art of crocheting. They managed to make a variety of useful items.
In
the town of Jalapa there is an orphanage that take care of approximately
110 girls ages birth to about 18. Wells of Hope was able to assist
in the care of these girls by providing some essentials such as
soap, children's toys and some food. Students of Catholic Schools in the Niagara Region put together 4000 Christmas shoe boxes that were shipped to Guatemala and distributed to children in the Lake Izbul area. CANADIAN GUATEMALAN RELATIONS Through various interactions, the Guatemalans learned about Canada and Canadians. The Wells of Hope Team received recognition from the Governor of the State of Jalapa and from the President of Guatemala's office. IMPACT ON AND OF CANADIAN VISITORS The Wells of Hope Team welcomed student and adult visitors from Canada. The visitors saw first hand the needs of people in a developing country and all returned to Canada with a greater appreciation of what Canadians often take for granted. Canadian visitors gave Guatemalans hope for the future and showed them that there are people who care for them and share with them. MOBILIZATION OF SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS As the scope of the project grew so did the participation of various support groups. A full list of support groups can be found elsewhere on the website but the diversity of groups such as Rotary, CWL, The United Mennonite Church, United Church of Canada, Catholic Churches, Christian Faith Groups, Knights of Columbus Secondary and Elementary Schools is indicative of what can be accomplished through co-operation. FACTS AND FIGURES Total Number of feet drilled: 4,800 feet Pipeline laid: 16,500 feet Student instructional places constructed: 485 Number of Canadian visitors: 80 Number of people treated medically: 210 Number of people treated by dentists: 115 approx. Number of people for sewing lessons: 85 Number of students learning English: 105 Number of Christmas Shoe Boxes distributed: 4,000 Number
of people clean water was made available to: 16,000 |
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Past reports from the field Oct.
4/04 |
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Those who have contributed thus far Contact Us Read More about the project Read Ted's Story Join the effort Scenes from the first annual H20 Down View a slide show of the people you could help A Special thanks to Chris Atkinson and the Christmas Curling Fundraiser who donated the proceeds to the We lls of Hope this year Visit their web site here |
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| Life
Giving Links Learn about the World Wide Effort to bring clean water to everyone The United Nations report on Climate Change Water
for People |
If
you or your school or oganization would like to help the people of
Guatemala have clean drinking water, or if you'd like to know more about The Wells of Hope hope Email us at: spirit@warehouseofhope.com |