Back in Managua!

Hello everyone, I'm back in Managua with both internet and running water! What a luxury.

I spent the past couple of days in El Roblar, an extremely rural and isolated community in the department (state) of Boaco. Our team was taking samples of water from filters installed in March of this year, and also from the original water source (e.g. river or well) and the receptacle in which the family keeps the water.

It was interesting to see the challenges of a mobile laboratory in the middle of nowhere; for example, the water samples had to be put on "Petrifilm" (like a mobile, less finicky petri dish and agar) and kept between 35-35 degrees Celsius (86-95 degrees Farenheit). Since El Roblar is up in the mountains, it was quite chilly so we had to use hot water bottles and a cooler as a makeshift incubator to try to maintain a constant temperature.

The water filters were often in varying conditions, as were the receptacles where the families kept the filtered water. Some of these buckets had flies and dust floating in them, while some were covered and washed daily. It's hard to tell if people didn't understand the consequences of keeping their water clean, didn't know how to do it properly, didn't have the time to keep the water clean, or just didn't have the inclination to do so. We left the samples with the health committee, however, so they'll explain to the community members the danger of drinking water from a dirty receptacle, even if it has passed through the filter. The committee will also explain how to keep the water clean and keep track of any filters that aren't working properly.

Overall, the trip was fantastic. It was a really cool chance to see a rural community and to see how difficult it is for the community members to access health care. The situation is better now that our partner has trained a community member as a health promoter (community health worker), but it's still quite a trek from one house to the next, especially now that it's the rainy season. I did my laundry today, and I must have spent ten minutes trying to scrub the mud off my pants! I admire the health committee so much-- they make an effort to reach out to the whole community on a regular basis even though it's really quite difficult to do so. Hopefully the water filters, in addition to training about their care and maintenance, will make their jobs just a little easier.

Sarah will be posting some pictures on the GlobeMed blog today: http://globemedatrhodes.wordpress.com/