I went on a 60km bike ride last weekend through the rolling hills of Albay. This place is simply beautiful. Once you are out of the city and the endorphin high kicks in, the ride becomes a fantastic adventure.
Up one hill, down the next, dodging crazy bus drivers who take crystal meth and don't sleep so they can drive for longer, flying past rice terraces on long, winding descents, the whip of the wind and the smiles of the children keep my spirits high. I don't rest for too long, the world looks better from the saddle. There is no destination, there is no goal, I am riding for the sake of spinning the wheels and seeing what magic lies around the next bend. I am free to enjoy it and not be judged. I just hope I don't get a flat tire.
The hanging road of northern Albay follows a serpentine path towards and away from the sea. Around each point of land is another small town with mothers doing laundry and fathers tilling the rice. The sea and sky are so still and blue that I am confused which one is reflecting which. The air is hazy, but there are no mosquitoes. Clearing the final hill gives a fantastic view of the mountain chain of Bikol; all the volcanoes have blown themselves to pieces except for Mayon, the upstart little nephew. It is amazing how rugged the shapes of the hills are in such a young landscape.
I like the Peace Corps.
Although this article is a little pre-emptive (using the past tense for the training that is currently underway) I thought it would provide some perspective into my work and allow for comments before I publish it in the Peace Corps newsletter:
Since the beginning of economic class distinction, the concepts of philanthropy and of service to your fellow man have existed, though sometimes in painfully low quantities. Since the beginning of human perceptions, there has been this idea that some things nature throws at us are not entirely supportive of our cause, as humans, to survive and provide for the next generation. Disasters have always been a sort of wild card that keeps humanity from getting too full of itself, although perhaps the people of Albay would not speak of it quite so light-heartedly.
Although the BioSand filter and associated IEC program were not initially designed as a quick, post-disaster solution, A Single Drop for Safe Water, the NGO responsible for the BioSand filter training at the 265 PST-2, in Iloilo, has been working with Page Weil and Mariah Klingsmith in Legazpi City, Albay to shift the paradigm of this filter’s use. BioSand water filters are point-of-use water filters that are best suited for installation in the homes of the rural poor, especially in locations with fecal contamination in the water supply. In February, A Single Drop formed a handshake partnership with ADRN (the Albay Disaster Relief Network; a group of NGOs setup to provide coordination and assistance in disaster aftermath around Albay) to work as counterparts to procure funding from UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, to fund a large scale BioSand program as quickly as possible.
Fast forward through the meetings, budget negotiations, and proposal drafts and redrafts, UNICEF supplied the necessary funding to A Single Drop to buy 6 BioSand filter molds and manufacture and install 100 filters within 6 weeks. The money spent will not only serve to relieve the effects of the recent disasters, but also to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to the problem of clean water in Albay.
We can now look back on the BioSand filter training at Aquinas University (WATSAN Page Weil’s HCA and a partner of ADRN) and smile, as the results have been nothing but positive. 18 attendees from various NGOs (all partners of ADRN) came to learn the technology and prepare to manufacture BioSand filters on a large scale. The trainers came from A Single Drop, the money came from UNICEF, the inspired people came from ADRN and Aquinas University, and moral support and day-to-day coordination was supplied by Page and Mariah. With very little coaxing, ADRN has taken on the responsibility of developing IEC plans before, during, and after filter installation. The people of Albay seem to be in good hands.
Completion of the technical training has left ADRN with 6 BioSand filter molds, trained staff, and widespread community entry through the placement of the initially manufactured 100 filters. ADRN now has the capacity to pump out 180 filters every month (each filter can supply up to 200 liters of clean water per day) and sell them locally to people who are still picking up the pieces of their lives from the wreckage of last year’s typhoons. Local material, labor, IEC and installation costs put the sustainable price of one filter at 1400 pesos. After initial installation there are no costs associated with the filter.
As this project gains visibility ADRN will use their training and local contacts to market the filter to all of the poor and needy within Albay. These inspired altruists will not rest until there is a pot on every fire and a BioSand filter accessibly placed near every contaminated water source; okay, maybe they will take a break for a Meryenda or two…
