EWB-NY Miraflores Public Health Project

Project Status Update

2009-11-02T10:00:00.001-08:00

We faced several challenges on our most recent trip to El Salvador in June. The goal of the trip was to conduct a pre-assessment of the project site, collect detailed community demographic and spatial information, establish a working relationship with the community, and determine the feasibility of the project alternatives. Unfortunately, the June trip did not have the outcome that we anticipated.

The community of Miraflores 3 is highly divided by political affiliations, to the extent that they cannot work together. The country’s presidential elections in March resulted in a president from the left wing party, which is the first time they’ve been represented since the end of the civil war in 1992. The community saw the same changes, the municipality changed parties for the first time in their history (the community was mostly formed after the earthquakes hit San Salvador in 2001). EWB has a rule that when we choose a community to work with, we need to make a commitment to work with them for at least 5 years on one or many projects, depending on how the projects progress. When we tried to host a community meeting in Miraflores, we saw very clearly that the political divisions within the community would jeopardize the success of any project as well as the success of any relationship.

Also, one of the project objectives was to design and build an extension of the medical clinic. When we asked the local NGO (Manos Amigas) if they would use local labor from the community for free so they could be more involved in the project (this is one of EWB’s strategies), Manos Amigas said they would use an external contractor, instead of seeking help from within the community.

By the end of the trip, we decided to stop working with the community of Miraflores on the project. We made that decision together with the Pediatricians for Central America’s Children (PFCAC), who initially invited us to a project in Miraflores. We are now working together with PFCAC to find another community where we can work together for health related projects.

The Reunion

2009-02-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

After more than two months of working separately, it was high time for all four Miraflores Project teams - Fundraising, Community Involvement, Clinic Expansion, and Water - to meet again as one group. There was, of course, much to discuss, but in the name of brevity we'll stick to the highlights:

The Fundraising team has raised (from online donations, grants, and last month's happy hour) $6-7,000. Exact numbers will be known once National releases an update on online donations.

The Community Involvement team is planning activities that will help the assessment team engage the Miraflores community and foster the creation of a governing body for the community. The group is also hoping to start a penpal program between students here in NYC and the Miraflores elementary school.

To improve efficiency and better share information, the clinic expansion and water teams will start conducting joint meetings. The first such meeting will be this Monday, February 16.

Our Assessment Trip has been pushed back to early June (exact dates not yet known) to coincide with PFCAC's own trip. More details should emerge after the February 24 when PFCAC will hold its general meeting.

Miraflores Project general team meetings will now be held once a month. For next month's meeting we will go over the tasks each team needs to accomplish on the assessment trip and how that impacts our budget and available funds.

Thanks to Toshi for hosting this month's meeting at URS. The date, time, and location of the next meeting is TBD.

2009-02-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

Adrian Betanzos, Project Lead

Rachel Webre, Fundraising Lead

Last Thursday's fundraising event was a success! We netted an outstanding $1,715 for the project, bringing our total fundraising efforts to date to an impressive $6,215! With the amount raised we will be able to have tests performed on the clinic well and send a team of 4 engineers down to El Salvador in April for an assessment trip. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and hope you continue supporting the Miraflores project and EWB-NY.

Cordially,

Adrian, Rachel, & the entire Miraflores Team

Kick Off Fundraising Event!

2009-01-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

[click to enlarge]

Upcoming Meetings

2009-01-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Fund-Raising
Thursday, January 8th @ 7 pm
Location - Galway Hooker
(The private room upstairs is reserved under Rachel's name)
7 East 36th Street, between 5th and Madison

Water
Tuesday, January 13th
Location - Kate's Joint (Vegetarian, Health Food)
58 Avenue B, New York 10009 At 4th St
212-777-7059

Community Involvement
Thursday, January 22th @ 6:30 pm
Location - Think Coffee (1 Bleecker at Bowery)

* Please contact the group leads (listed below) with any comments or questions.

Project Update and Getting Involved

2008-12-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

[[NOTE: Due to the elections that are taking place in January and March next year, it was decided that the next assessment trip be postponed from January to April 2009. In the mean time, we'll work to get as much done as possible from the US, including design and fundraising, as well as working with engineering students in El Salvador to gather initial data.]]

The last meeting focused on discussions relating to implementation design and community involvement strategies. Fundraising was also identified as a top priority. The group split into teams that will meet separately and then come together to collaborate ideas. People volunteered for one or more of the below groups:

Fundraising: Rachel Webre
Community Involvement: Jenna Hobocan
Clinic Expansion: Josephine Kaiser
Clinic Water System: Mandi Caudill

Anyone interested in getting involved on a team should contact the Group Leader directly. Engineers Without Borders, despite its name, is not just for engineers. Don't let the lack of an engineering degree prevent you from donating your time; motivated and enthusiastic people are always welcome, no matter their background. To discuss how your skills could best help the project, please contact Project Lead Adrian Betanzos abetanzos@ewbny.org.

Next Meeting - Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 6:30 pm

2008-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Meeting Location:

Front Inc.
185 Varick Street # 300 (corner of Varick & King st)
New York, NY 10014

Please email Adrian (abetanzos@ewbny.org) if you are planning to come.

Agenda Items - Research groups will informally present their findings to teach the others (See prior meeting recaps for more on research groups).

Team Meeting Update, October 28, 2008

2008-10-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

The last meeting was held at URS Corporation.

An overview of the project and its current status was provided for new members. The group has applied to EWB National for Clinic Expansion & Water distribution in Miraflores, El Salvador, and we should hear back by December 15th on whether our proposal is approved or needs additional work.

Tamar Losleben - a Peace Corps volunteer, Earthquake volunteer, Unicef volunteer, and daughter of a USAID worker in ES - gave a presentation sharing her knowledge and experiences to the group. She looked at the history of El Salvador, highlighting problems associated with its poor economy, high levels of emigration, and densely populated and deforested areas.

She also shared her experiences in her community in which she worked with building compost latrines and a water distribution system. Tamar noted potential regulatory issues and noted tools that we may be able to use in our project. She focused on the importance of these tools being drawn together, as a community and include the following:

i. Form an ADESCO – legal community leadership
ii. Form a Water and Sanitation Board
iii. Use Mayor
iv. Health Surveys – find out about a Health Promoter
v. Community water testing
vi. Problem & Solution Trees
vii. Community Map
viii. Seasonal Calendar
ix. Excellent Communication
x. Build confianza! (trust)

For the next meeting, group members should individually continue gathering information according to the research topic teams that were formed in the last meeting.

Next Meeting - Tuesday, October 28th at 6:30 pm

2008-10-18T11:46:00.001-07:00

Meeting Location:

URS Corporation
One Penn Plaza (34th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues)
Suite 610
610New York, NY 10119-0698

Please contact Toshi (toshi.shepard.ohta@gmail.com) by 5PM on Monday the 27th if you will be attending to be put on the security list.

Team Meeting Update - October 8, 2008

2008-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

The last meeting was held at CDM.

The main objective of the meeting was to explore potential projects and approaches for our work with the Miraflores community. It was decided that due to a lack of clear community connectivity our initial approach will be to work to improve the communal resources of the village, such as the health clinic and school. Elements and considerations relating to these projects include:

Expand the existing clinic:
- Improve ventilation of the clinic (ceiling and walls)
- Create more spaces for patient care and lab work; Create a space for community education on health issues.

Design a water distribution system using the clinic well as a source:
- Use the clinic well as a water source; Improve the existing pump area to avoid standing water
- Build an elevated tank at the clinic to distribute water to the clinic, school, and nutrition center
- Protect the well from possible contamination sources

Design a community gathering spot near the clinic and nutrition center:
- Benches and/or tables may be considered in addition to other options that make resourceful use of local materials and craftmanship.

Throughout the implementation of these projects it is our hope that our group will build relationships and establish credibility with community members - both which would facilitate more expansive projects, such as clean water distribution to individual homes.

Various approaches to projects were considered and research tasks were delegated. Research areas identified included community involvement, public health, pump and storage tanke design, electric voltage availability, etc. Team members also took on responsibilities for specific team functions (ie. treasurer, secretary) and began forming subcommittees, such as fundraising, logistics coordination, and finances.

Next Meeting

2008-10-02T12:33:00.002-07:00

Wednesday, October 8th at 6.30 pm at:

CDM
1375 Broadway ( on the corner of 37th St)
Suite 1401, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Tel 212.221.9462 x 19411
e-email Mandi caudilla@cdm.com

Please email Mandi to rsvp for the security list.

Tasks: To discuss specifics of the project and to divide the work to do.

Project Application EWB-USA Projects – Submitted!

2008-10-02T12:33:00.001-07:00

Our project application has been submitted! The purpose of formally submitting projects to and gaining approval from EWB-USA is to ensure that the project scope agrees with EWB-USA’s mission. It requires that the project benefits the community and won’t exclude members of the community, there is community involvement and participation, and the scope of work is well defined.

Scope of Work
For this public health project in Miraflores, the proposal is to expand the existing clinic. This expansion will include additional rooms for lab testing, as well as space for patients to rest and wait if they are not feeling well. The expansion will also include an improvement of the existing ventilation on the building. In addition to the expansion of the clinic, the group will focus on establishing a working water system within the clinic. All construction efforts will be focused on using materials and skilled labor from the community.

Pre-assessment Trip - September 5 -11, 2008

2008-10-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon!

Meeting History

2008-10-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Over the course of several initial meetings, the El Salvador project team has developed into a multi-disciplined group, dedicated to understanding the needs of Miraflores and its neighboring communities in order to develop appropriate, practical and sustainable solutions.

PFCAC doctors have provided us with their first-hand observations and experiences from working with several communities in El Salvador. Their insights on community culture, systems and needs have served as our preliminary basis for discussion. Although they noted many potential improvements , ranging from composting systems to road construction, the group decided to focus further investigation on the core needs as identified by the doctors - water quality and indoor air pollution.

The team split into two research and brainstorming groups, which met separately to explore the topics in relation to Central America, El Salvador and the specific communities. Potential strategies were discussed, specifically in consideration of costs, ease of implementation and overall effectiveness. The groups then reformed and merged ideas and assessment tasks with respect to each discipline.

Goals of the pre-assessment trip in early September included gathering information on the community’s existing infrastructure, health characteristics and needs (as well as perceived needs). Team members would also make an effort to observe the nature of the daily life, relationships and communication within Miraflores and establish relationships with community members and potential community leads for the project implementation.

Meeting Locations
Meeting locations have been generously made available by the following companies:

Parson Brinckerhoff
2nd Floor, Conference Room 2E
One Penn Plaza (34th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues)

URS Corporation
One Penn Plaza (34th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues)
6th Floor

CDM
1375 Broadway ( on the corner of 37th St)
Suite 1401, 14th Floor

L'Oreal USA
575 5th Avenue, 40th floor
New York, NY 10017
212-984-4028

EWB-NY Event: Cambodia Project Milestone Gala

2008-09-18T07:57:00.001-07:00

From the Cambodia Project Blog:

Thursday, Sept. 18th 7:30pm-11pm
Peter Cooper Suite, 8th Floor
Cooper Union
Foundation Building
7 East 7th Street, NY, NY
milestone.gala@ewbny.org

The recent completion of the watergate structure marks a major milestone not only in the Cambodia Water Dam Project, but in the Engineers Without Borders-New York City Chapter as well. Join us at the Milestone Gala as we say "THANK YOU" to all the supporters who have made this work a reality!

Who's Who

2008-09-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Miraflores Public Health Project Team is:

Adrian Betanzos
Project Lead
Engineer

Jenna Hobocan
Community Involvement Lead
Planner

Josephine Kaiser
Clinic Expansion Lead
Mechanical Engineer

Mandi Caudill
Clinic Water Team Lead
Environmental Engineer

Rachel Webre
Fundraising Lead
Mechanical Engineer

Solkem Gottingar
Secretary
Civil Engineer

Toshi Shepard-Ohta
Treasurer
Civil Engineer

Scott Elberger
PFCAC

Vindhya Kamath
PFCAC

Sara Beth Werb
PFCAC
Dentist

Miraflores Photo Gallery

2008-09-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon!

Project Calendar

2008-09-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Background

2008-08-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

El Salvador

El Salvador — the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America — is situated on the Pacific Coast and is largely a Roman Catholic society. Two volcanic ranges line the landscape, and major industries include coffee, sugar, and textiles.

Social inequalities and unrest in the 1970's and a vicious civil war in the 1980's compelled many Salvadoran families to flee to the U.S. and Canada. Today, after the devestation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the two earthquakes which hit San Salvador, the capital, in January and February 2001, El Salvador is a recovering economy.

Miraflores
Located near the San Salvador International airport is a principle target village of the local NGO (non-governmental organization) Manos Amigas (Helping Hands) based in San Salvador. Manos Amigas collaborates with the US-based (NY) NGO Pediatricians for Central America's Children (PFCAC) who first contacted Water for Humanity (WFH) for help with the water situation in Miraflores.

The villagers had no water except what was brought in on a tanker truck at exorbitant prices. A community well, located next to the new clinic, was drilled by the US-based sectarian NGO Living Waters International.

Now, WFH has provided funds for the construction of a composting latrine on the other side of the clinic. This will eliminate the need to use precious water in flush latrines, and will protect the groundwater.

Summary:

Population of ~1,000 inhabitants
The town contains a health clinic, one school
NGO’s working: Manos Amigas ("hands of friendship,") & PFCAC (Pediatricians For Central America’s Children)
Potable Water Well was built last year by PFCAC
Manos Amigas has built a craft atelier
Both PFCAC and Manos Amigas built the health clinic