Celebrating access to clean water in Chinda, Honduras

I am so grateful when I have the opportunity to see in person the impact of the Case Foundation's international investments up close. This week I am in Honduras with Ned Breslin (CEO of Water for People), the incredible Water for People team and the organization's board of directors. We're in Northwest Honduras to see the first district in Central America that has 100% coverage of water and sanitation.

Working hand-in-hand with the government and local communities, Water for People has assisted the people of Honduras in making great strides toward obtaining clean drinking water, clean and safe sanitation solutions, and improved hygiene.

Check out this brief video from the village of El Retiro, where the community manages and maintains the water and sanitation services.

Yesterday was an exciting one, as the people of Chinda, Honduras celebrated 100% coverage, meaning the entire muncipality's population has access to clean drinking water and sanitation. It was a long but rewarding day filled with travel to Chinda from San Pedro Sula, speeches from various government officials, songs from a local band and multiple traditional Honduran dances... and that was all before lunch.

We then drove to a remote mountain village and spent time in a class room meeting with the water and sanitation committee from the community. We were also able to see some of Water for People's work, although this didn't last long before heavy rains came, and we needed to leave to get down the mountain before the roads became impassable.

The best part of the trip so far is to see the pride of the people of Chinda. Unlike other models, the community owns the solution and must collect tariffs to operate and maintain the systems. Ned gave a great speech letting the people of Chinda know that they are the model in which the rest of the world will strive to match.

Ned and I are going back out to the field this weekend, and we'll have more video coverage to share so stay posted for more updates next week.