Spending Ourselves

At the highest point in Carabuela

Part of my time here in Quito has been spent learning as much as I can about the work that HCJB Water Projects does in Ecuador.  Obviously there´s a lot more that goes into this type of development work than just the technical aspects of engineering design.  The philosophy with the water projects team here is that sustainability is a key factor for water systems.  A large percentage of water systems built by other organizations in Ecuador fail over time due to lack of maintenance.  The idea is that the community has to have a sense of ownership and responsibility for their water system.  Bruce, the water projects director, was explaining that we are not in the business of handouts, or just giving things to people.  Although it may seem contradictory, simply being poor does not qualify a community to have HCJB design a water system for them.  The people must have a desire to improve their lives and take responsibility for the work that needs to be done, both at the start and down the road.  It´s also important that the community has to provide the majority of the labor and natural materials.  Funding comes from many different sources since most communities do not have the kind of money that´s necessary to pay for everything.  Another requirement is to have an organized ¨Junta de Agua¨ or water committee that takes on the financial and maintenance responsibilities.

Checking out the system

Last week I made my first trip out to the Quichua community of Carabuela to work on an existing water system.  The Quichuas are one of the indigenous groups in Ecuador, and live in the Andes Mountains.  The main source of income in Carabuela is their handcrafts, such  as weavings that they sell in the market of Otavalo.  This community was not the poorest in comparison to others in Ecuador, but it was still the most impoverished area I have seen since arriving in Quito.  Seeing the bare concrete block houses, and the dirty old clothes kids were wearing reminded me that yes I am in a developing country.  It amazes me how much of an economic gap there can be between life here in the city and life out in the rural areas.

Measuring flow rates of spring water collection

Taking some notes on the pipes

Roberto (an Ecuadorian HCJB staff engineer), Wim (a missionary technician from The Netherlands), and I inspected different parts of the system.  We worked with Luis, head of the water committee in Carabuela, to make preparations to install two injection pumps for chlorine disinfection.  Technical problems are always solvable, but sometimes cultural issues are the biggest challenge.

There´s an unfortunate perspective of the indigenous people held by others as well as themselves - that they are a lower class, that they are meant to be poor.  The team here wants to help get these people out of that mindset, to be able to have a better life.  We are not trying to solve financial problems by providing more finances.  By going on a spiritual journey with them we hope to show how God´s power can release them from the bondage of poverty.  They are lifted up by things like a supply of clean water, relationships with people that care, and faith in God that encompasses all these things.

Whenever you are trying to alleviate poverty, you´re talking about a huge challenge.  That´s hard work.  There are no easy or simple solutions.  But that´s where God comes in, and He is pleased to have us working alongside Him in this effort.  If we tried to do this on our own, our approach would always fail.  I think God wants us to work hard, to empty ourselves in response to being filled by Him.

...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 

Isaiah 58:10