| The Montero area is
tropical and relatively densely populated. There are water systems, primarily wells, but
chlorination is rare and basic maintenance and testing is a new concept. The 3 Altiplano
areas sit in stark contrast to Montero. These areas are very sparsely populated and sit in
a desert at over 12,000 ft.. Fresh water here of any kind is rare and the few springs
generally have to serve a widely scattered population. That means that just to have enough
water to drink and survive might mean a trip of 2 miles, one way. Peter Weed and I left for an overnight flight from Miami to Santa Cruz on Sunday, September 6th. We arrived early in the morning and were met by the CSRA Director in Montero, Dr. Dardo Chavez and Water for People’s Bolivian Director, Ms. Susana Southerwood. Susana is an engineer and a native New Zealander who has worked on water projects in Latin America for 5 years and speaks fluent Spanish. We immediately traveled to Montero, approximately 45 minutes away. We spent 3 days visiting the CSRA facilities, headed up by Dr. Chavez, and 4 water cooperatives in the region. Everywhere we went the people were warm, friendly and very interested in whatever help we could provide. The primary need for all the co-ops is chlorinators and the training to properly operate, test and maintain the systems. In addition, the barrios in the CSRA service area desperately need proper, sanitary latrines. Before leaving Montero, we were presented with several proposals requesting help and funding for these various projects. This is where Water for People can be of assistance.
Our Friends at The Consejo in Montero, among them Juan Carlos, Mirtha and Dr. Chavez On Wednesday night, the 9th, we flew from Santa Cruz to La Paz for the second leg of our journey. That night and the next day were spent acclimatizing to the 13,000 ft. altitude of the world’s highest capital city, La Paz. The City sits in a giant bowl surrounded by the 20,000+ ft. peaks of the Andes. It is bustling place with over 1,000,000 residents. Their are markets and street vendors in all parts of the City and you can purchase almost anything at anytime. Susana, Peter, Abraham (pronounced Abram, a WFP worker and Susana’s fiancee) and I left early Friday morning, the 11th, for our next destination, Puerto Acosta near the Peruvian border. The drive out is 5 hours over primarily rough gravel and dirt roads. The route generally follows the shoreline of Lake Titicaca and provides some incredible views of the Andes, the Lake, the Island of the Sun, the Island of the Moon and of all things, Pink Flamingos. We passed through the village of Quiescapa, where several years ago Rick Carrier of our committee helped build a water system. This system is still in use by the community.
The Sleeping Dragon, on the shores of Lake Titicaca We were met in Puerto Acosta by Matt (Matteo) Scholler, a Peace Corps volunteer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Matt has been in the area for over a year and also speaks fluent Spanish. He has worked closely with the CSRA staff and the local municipalities to identify and develop water projects. Early Saturday morning we left on a 1-1/2 hour 4 wheel drive commute to the village of San Lorenzo. Don’t look for it on any maps because it isn’t there. It is a village of about 40 Aymaran families at over 14,000 ft. in the midst of the Andes. We spent the next 4 days helping to survey a 2.5 Kilometer water line from the only spring near the village. The people welcomed us and were anxious to give us food and drink whenever possible. They are incredible people who can literally run up and down the mountains at 14,000 ft., with 30 lbs. of gear and with seeming ease. They do this with pride as well, they have a work ethic that is unmatched. We looked at other areas of need in the region and discussed the possibility of a Water for People work group coming back to Bolivia to work on the planning and design of other projects.
Our Survey Crew near San Lorenzo and Chajana (Calixto, Matteo, Abraham, Our Aymaran Guide, Susana and Peter) Peter and I returned to La Paz, along with Susana and Abraham, to rest and prepare to return to the USA. We met with the National Director of CSRA in Bolivia, Nathan Robinson. He is the son of missionary parents and has basically devoted his life to helping the people of Bolivia. We agreed that there is much that Water for People can do both financially and technically now and in the future.
That's me on the left with shades, at 14,000', near Chajana
Downtown Puerto Acosta | Downtown Montero
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