THE NEED FOR WATER: An Experience In Guatemala
There really isn’t one word that can easily describe the trip we made down to Guatemala.
Brief, maybe. Expedited, that’s another way to put it. Inspiring. Eye-opening. Revealing. Heart-rendering. Humbling. Tortilla-consuming — for those curious about the food situation. It all works. But maybe the biggest takeaway from our five-day journey with HOPE International to the village of Talaxcoc comes down to the term; motivating.
We didn’t go down there to change the world, or march in ready to solve every single person’s problems. There was no self-gratifying project to complete, no detailed itinerary to rush through, and no plans to impose our ideology. Instead, we went with ears and hearts opened — to learn, to observe, and to see for ourselves the who and the why behind Run For H2O.
As a result, we came away motivated.
Despite the whirlwind travel and lack of rest, there was a renewed energy — one that now sparks us to, first and foremost, want to do all we can to help this village of 190 families gain access to the very basic need of clean running water. There is now an extra jolt to this PentaSport initiative and the mission to do something larger than our league; an added meaning to the extra hours which the dedicated Run For H2O committee are spending in order to organize an event expected to be more extensive as ever, with a goal more lofty as ever.
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The motivation was what God knew we needed, and He affirmed that with our experience in Guatemala.
This was not more evident than our third day with the people of the village. In groups, we trekked with certain families to grab water — able to get a glimpse into their everyday life and learn about the hardships that come with the lack of running water.
Our group walked down the mountain-side with two mothers, taking us about an hour to reach the river. The hike was hard on the knees and legs, and not exactly the safest. There was no paved walkway to follow, rather having to find footing overtop piles of dry, slippery leaves. Once we finally reached the waters, more physical work had to be done. Wading into the river, we helped with laundry — rubbing soap into the clothes before scrubbing the fabric hard upon the rocks to wash away the dirt and stains. With the sun strongly beating down on us and having to awkwardly bend down to manually wash, the gruelling task added to our already fatigued nature from the long hike down just to get there.
After laundry was completed, we filled up all our water jugs and made the walk back up. In Vancouver, the Grouse Grind is considered a conquest — with its many suitors setting out to surpass their previous personal bests. In Talaxcoc, hiking up a gruelling uphill path for an hour while carrying a 15-pound jug of water is a means of survival.
The entire expedition took us two hours — one hour each way — after which, we learned that many women and sometimes children would have to go the same route … about four times per day! Do the math. That’s eight hours daily spent just getting water. Imagine how vastly their lives would be altered by a water system, allowing them to have clean water in their homes.
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Then there are those like Diego, who spoke about his life during a town hall meeting on our second day there. He told us about how he had to wake up early to carry water before heading into work – which consisted of manual labour such as collecting firewood or planting corn. There were times when he even needed to run the entire way to the water source and back because he didn’t want to be late for work. After he returned home from a long day, he still had to head out again to grab more water for his family. The cycle doesn’t stop.
These are just a couple of examples to the way of life in Talaxcoc.
It fails to mention the lack of overall education for children, or the trials and challenges of those tasked with planning and building this water system. It doesn’t delve into the incredible courage and perseverance of families doing whatever it takes to get through another day or their incredible amount of faith in a God that provides. Despite the experiences we had and the stories we heard, we still can’t truly understand the inconveniences, the struggles, and the adversity that the people of Talaxcoc endure day in and day out. For us, we are able to return home to the comforts of washing machines, hot showers, and clean running water.
But even the slightest peek into their lives has given us a sense of motivation. We need to help this village. We want to help this village.
On Saturday, June 16th, Run For H2O is setting out to do just that. All 100% of funds raised goes directly to purchasing materials for the water system, training villagers, and paying the local staff’s salaries. Our target is to raise $150,000. The event is for everyone — runners, walkers, children, and even toddlers. Competitively or leisurely. Friends or families. Rain or shine.
And those who aren’t able to run or participate, we still need you. We need volunteers, we need donors, we need supporters. We need this community to get involved and to spread the word.
Find out how to do just that by visiting the Run For H2O website, where you can also learn more about the people, the project, and the process behind the cause. Then, take a short moment to register for the Run or to donate to this important initiative.
On behalf of the PentaSport Committee and the Run For H2O Committee, we’re excited to having you join us!
– Anthony Ma and Hosea Cheung
(Want to hear more about our experience and stories about the people and village? Give us a shout at [email protected] and [email protected], and we’ll love to tell you more over coffee!)
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Photos by Peter So and Hosea Cheung