Day 10 - May 22

This morning we went to a local hot springs, which are man-made pools filled with water from the local geothermal activity. The country also uses this geothermal activity to power a plant that provides a significant portion of its energy needs. In the afternoon, we went to the headquarters of Agua del Pueblo, the water organization Dr. Clemens founded. While there, we learned about the design of gravity-fed potable water supply systems. Agua del Pueblo has been designing and installing these water systems since 1972. Agua del Pueblo views these water systems as a means to an end, and not the final goal. As part of the construction of the water supply sytems, Agua del Puelo educates the beneficiaries in community organizational skills and attempts to raise their consciousness. They have found that communities can build on their success to increase other development activities, such as schools, health clinics, and roads.

The board of directors of Agua del Pueblo asked us to set up a system to digitize the information on completed water projects, because the organization's only records are kept on paper. To make the information more accessible, transparent, and long-lasting we set up a worksheet in Excel. We entered relevant information for approximately 40 water projects. The Board of Directors intends to continue the process we started. Over the next year, they plan to use our system to digitize the remaining water projects they have competed: more than 900. Our day was very enjoyable, as well as educational and productive.