Erick, Justo, and Samuel helped tote the formwork up where we met the other guys and poured the springbox.
Today we braved the tick infested pastures and managed to complete a spring box which will serve as our water intake. Each community member chipped in money to buy the materials and we worked together to build formwork for the concrete and used horses to haul several hundred pounds of rock, sand, and cement up the mountain. The most impressive part was that community members put up the money to buy everything and did all the work. I´d call that a good start on sustainable development. This was my first spring box, and I learned a quite a bit. We built the inner and outer formwork down at my house, as I had seen on other spring boxes, and toted it up on our backs. Unfortunately, upon excavating the spring, the lay of the surrounding rocks made the outer formwork inappropriate, so we rebuilt it on the spot and had a good laugh about having carried the awkward thing all the way up the hill. The spring box is just the start of our project, and we´re still seeking funding for the tubing and reservoir tank. I´ll visit the Ministry of Health, which is in charge of rural water systems, in the coming week to solicit assistance, but that has limited promise. Outside assistance would also be very welcome. The total cost will be around $2,500 and will serve 15 houses with the overflow benefitting another 70 houses down the mountain.
