Meet Birsilia.
October 11, 2012
Meet Birsilia Meza. Los Leones, Honduras
We're delighted to introduce you to Birsilia Meza.
The lines of her face tell you that she’s a survivor. She’s endured a great deal throughout her 80 years. Most recently, a broken hip. She walks with a stick and her steps are short and slow. Her small, bent frame and rough hands are a further testament to the hardship of her years.
Birsilia has spent thousands of her days sick from the contaminated water she drinks. It’s impossible to keep human waste out of the local water source. On top of that, many times a day, she must walk half a mile to reach the hole in the ground her family uses as a bathroom.
Raw sewage is a problem in the developing world in a way we can’t fathom in America. We don’t have to confront the problem of human waste daily. We simply flush it away in the bathroom down the hall. It doesn’t run through our streets or sit in puddles in our backyards. It’s certainly not in the water we drink. This is not the case for over 2.6 billion people in the world who lack access to adequate sanitation facilities (World Health Organization, 2008).
Diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis A are just a sampling of the diseases transmitted through water contaminated by human waste. Diarrhea, alone, is responsible for the deaths of 5,000 children a day (World Health Organization, 2008).
Water Missions International knows the positive correlation between access to safe water, hygiene training and adequate sanitation facilities. The Healthy Latrine™ was developed to address sanitation needs in areas where we are providing safe water. As a result of its implementation, we’ve seen this multi-faceted solution is truly transformational.
Birsilia is smiling today. Water Missions International provided safe water for her community in 2009, and installed a Healthy Latrine™ for her home this July. For the first time in her life, Birsilia has a bathroom and a new kind of hope. Healthier days lie ahead for her children, grandchildren and generations to come.
Ms. Birginia Meza standing in front of her brand new Healthy Latrine™ located right by her house.
To date, Water Missions International has installed 14,795 latrines in Central and South America, and 250 more are currently under construction. That translates to even more stories of impact when multiplied through all of the families who use these latrines and the healthy generations that will follow. There is a ripple effect of development and transformation through every Healthy Latrine™ . Today, there is still much work to be done. Right now, 400 families in Peru, Haiti and Honduras are waiting for us to act. Transportation and material costs for one latrine project is $400. We can’t serve these families without your help. Would you consider making a life-transforming gift and investing in a healthier future for these families today? Click here to give sanitation.
Honduras Country Director, Hector, at an old make-shift latrine. This is not adequate sanitation.
Now that you know her story, visit Birsilia at home and hear from her yourself. Go to www.watermissions.org/HealthyLatrine for more photos and video.
The World Health Organization reports that improved sanitation reduces diarrheal death rates by 33%. In 2007, Water Missions International launched Project SafeWater- Colon, a $4.7 million undertaking funded by the Pentair Foundation to provide the entire district of Colon, Honduras with access to safe water and adequate sanitation.
An independent study of the project showed “an approximate 52% reduction of clinical visits,” within three years of the project’s launch.
To read the study, visit www.watermissions.org/HealthyLatrine.
Are you curious about the Healthy Latrine? Here's an overview about it's design. You can find links to more information on the Healthy Latrine™ Project site.
We'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think of Birsilia's story? Did you know about the impact of sanitation on health?
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