One woman's story

Water 1st staff and volunteers recently traveled to the community of El Socorro, Honduras, to celebrate the inauguration of their newly completed water project. This momentous event was also bittersweet for many parents, including Soylachica Cerran, whose 19-month old son recently died after a sudden fever, likely related to the water and hygiene situation that existed in the community before their water system was completed.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to meet women like Soylachica, whose children have died. In this region of Honduras, where safe water projects are scarce, our local partner organization estimates that at least one in ten children die before reaching their 5th birthday, mostly from preventable causes. Medical clinics are typically inaccessible and expensive, forcing these poor subsistence farmers to wait before seeking medical attention. Sometimes they wait too long. The children that do survive are often sick, and consequently malnourished, and too weak to fully participate in the primary activities of childhood: learning and playing.

Along with the rest of the community, Soylachica is looking forward to a healthy future for her surviving children and her entire community now that their water project is complete, and their lives have been transformed.

Click to watch the video of her story...