On to the Darien Gap

The Darien Gap is the large mass of land separating much of Panama from Columbia.  A tropical rain forest of extreme ruggedness. It has been the safe zone for drug traffickers, FARC rebels and illegal mining and deforesting logging operations by foreign operatives.

There are no roads joining these countries.  For centuries many tribes of indigenous peoples and the foreign countries that had tried to conquer them existed together with severe hostilities between them. Now, some of this has changed but not all.

I pulled these photos off the Internet after viewing Morgan Freeman's History Channel show that visited one of the Embera-Wounaan villages.  Of course, the tribe dressed in their Sunday best!

Before traveling there my trip took me to Guna Yala, 'the land of the Gunas', also known by many as 'the San Blas Islands'.
I was lucky enough when in Guna Yala, delivering Sawyer Water filters and eye glasses to the Guna people on Panama's Caribbean islands , that I made contact with an ex Peace Corp couple living down in the Darien.  They were also doing water related projects and were open to an assist from me.

110 5 gallon buckets bought in Panama City, Panama

I had just delivered 110 Sawyer 5 gallon water filtration "Bucket Kits" to the Guna islands known as the Robeson's. The buckets were sourced in Panama City on the Pacific coast and transported across the mountains and out to sea, to the San Blas islands.

Sawyer SP-181 bucket filter systems being assembled. Buckets bought in country, filters brought in to country in personal luggage, seen in red suitcase and others

The filter kits themselves, I brought in my suitcases from the U.S.

 and then instructed Justino a Guna Indian, how to assemble the parts and later how to clean the filters for a million gallon life. I put him on the payroll, to do all the work while on the islands so he and the community 'knew' that he would be the one to go to later on with any questions or problems.

We assembled 55 bucket filter systems and gave one to each family group living on the main 2 islands.

Several hundred pair of Reader Eye Glasses distributed to the many in need.

Buckets loaded with different power of 'Readers' brought to each hut and recipients were shown how to judge which pair of glasses were best for their needs.  Anyone who needed vision correction received a pair.  Simple: life changing and low cost.
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At first, the buckets were used to carry these Eye Glass...readers, but later were drilled and refitted into the filter systems to filter their dirty river water source into safe drinking water, 99.999% pure.  Justino Galindo Martinez, a Guna local and friend of mine, explained to the villagers, one at a time, how to clean the filters by back flushing.  This would allow a life time of usage.

Taking 55 (half) of the systems to the Darien Gap

Once the Gunas received their water filtering systems, I took the remaining 55 buckets and filters down into the Darien Gap.  The journey was across the mountains to the pacific coast once again and then a very long drive down towards Columbia. The trip was on an often damaged road to Yaviza, the last town in Panama accessible by road.  Beyond this, it was either on foot through totally dense jungle or up rivers by dug out canoes.

Alan Foster and his wife Colleen manage a camp in this Yaviza, that offer assistance of many types to the locals and travel up river to remote villages, to supply methods for acquiring clean water and sanitation.

It is 'this' water that most of the indigenous tribes use for drinking, bathing and laundry.  It is this water, that we are trying to filter or bypass by digging wells and installing water storage systems.

Alan "the Beard", was taking a couple of missionary students and their chaperone to one of the villages where he was leading a project to dig a well and set up a tank storage system.  Without filtered water from subsurface wells, the people up river have to drink this river water, resulting often in sickness and disease.

The trips up river that I luckily was able to join, was a 4.5 hour trip in a 60' outboard powered canoe.

 Several  'Military Check Points' had to be cleared before we were allowed further up river.

Obviously, I was careful in photographing as passport check and inspection process appeared 'tense'.

The villagers share expenses for materials. Allan supplies the knowledge, equipment and arranges shipping and delivery of everything needed.

 The wells require a test drilling to see if a certain geology is below and adequate water supply is available. If so, then a hand dug well is created.  Here for some reason, things go in reverse.  The dug well is capped with a cement cover but Alan has the men drilling a test bore.

 Once a water supply has been secured, it is powered by a solar driven pump

Locals are taught to do all that is necessary and to hopefully repair what is necessary.

  In the photo above, the village men are hoisting 3 large tanks that will eventually hold water for a gravity water system. The Embera-Wounaan men physically built the tower and do all of the associated work, under the guidance of Alan.  Once the system is completed, the water will be available 24/7 due to gravity.

Villages have grown in popularity over the years bringing individual families out of the thick jungle into what is now river side communities.  The transition has not always been a plus as congestion causes it's own problems.
Food sourcing, potable water and sanitation for large groups all must be met.

Composting toilets have been gaining acceptance due to the need for centralized sanitation options in compact communities.

But certainly an 'enclosed' toilet can be improved upon. Composting toilets made more appealing and functional have gained the interest of the villagers.
To improve and increase the Composting Toilet concept up river,  Alan has amongst other things has been working on creating a prototype composting toilet base to be used for making a fiberglass mold that will then be used to create cement toilets created on site within these villages.

Pit toilets were common, but now composting toilets are gaining popularity in these dense villages, to solve some of the problems associated with the of sanitation of large groups.  \

Alan in backround with a couple of volunteers and our Wounaan family hosts.

 Obviously more needs to be done, but because of Alan and a few volunteers, there is hope for clean water and reasonable sanitation.

much of the clothing and virtually all toys are donated

It is the children and the older folks who suffer the most, as their immune system is weaker, but from what I saw and experienced, all the villagers show concern and appreciate the help.

A Sawyer 5 gallon bucket filtration system being used in our Host's stilt home.

A trip to a larger community along a river bank,

Alan, who is fluent in Spanish, the Embera-Wounaan's 2nd language, demonstrates a Sawyer water filter system.

 Alan took the dirty unsanitary river water and allowed it to flow through the Sawyer filter.   A minute later, the clean water was then taste tested by the local men, who's eyes lit up!

This large village, has an elaborate system brought in by a Non Profit and the gov't a few years ago.. but like most systems, it's broken.  Alan often returns with parts and yes, he repairs them.

Now more of the basics need to be considered and made available for clean water and sanitation.  It's not rocket science.  It's feet on the ground and some bucks!

 The people of these villages appreciate the help being brought in by us outsiders. Hopefully Alan and Colleen have the strength to continue.  I will continue to visit and support them financially.

It doesn't take much to help. Some time, some money, some effort but in the end, this chief's smile tells volumes.

Hoping to return to Yaviza and the Darien Gap late this winter to bring more support.