World Water Day: The Honduras Water Project

World Water Day is March 22! I thought I’d take some time to discuss the Micah Centre, especially the Honduras Water Project, and my time in Honduras in 2019. I was supposed to participate again in May 2020, but unfortunately that opportunity was not possible with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Micah Centre is an initiative at The King’s University that provides students, faculty, staff, and community members opportunities to foster greater understanding and action regarding issues of social justice. Global poverty and peacemaking are just two of the many topics discussed. The centre is based around the Micah 6:8 call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with [our] God”, and offers many interdisciplinary opportunities to learn and engage with social justice issues locally and globally. Some of these opportunities include the Justice Fellowship Program, Justice and Development Certificate, Quest Mexico, and the Honduras Water Project.

The Honduras Water Project is an experiential service-learning course that runs in the first three weeks of May, in partnership with World Renew. Prior to departure, the team meets together several times to learn more about water accessibility in the country we are visiting, learn about the village we are going to, listen to guest speakers, get to know our teammates, and learn about World Renew.

In preparation for our departure in May 2019 I had the chance to ask questions, hear from speakers, and bond with my team. We met at lunch breaks, evening potlucks, and a weekend getaway as a team. During our getaway we got into discussion about Honduras, the previous team, and the village they learned at. We also made mini teams to decide on the main topic each of us would focus on while in Honduras. Some topics included education, healthcare, and agriculture. This field experience opened my eyes to the privilege I have regarding not only water, but education and many other aspects of my life. As someone who is entering the B.Ed program in the fall, learning and engaging in the school nearby opened my eyes to the education system I took for granted growing up.

Our team worked alongside the community of El Espino, a village near the Nicaragua boarder. While we were there, we got to form relationships with the families we were working with. The community of El Espino experienced a drought that influences the nearby river, causing them to lose access to water. Our team worked alongside community members to dig trenches from a water source to the main roadway where wells will be built. The goal for the 2020 team was to continue that work and begin digging so that some individual homes would have direct access. Most days we woke early, worked on digging trenches, and spent the afternoon pursuing learning opportunities in surrounding communities.

As a team we talked each evening about what we learned and what we were challenged by. We kept journals on our learning and the relationships we were forming. During this service-learning project, I realized how I take water for granted in my home. If I want a drink, I turn on the tap to receive drinkable water. If I need to wash my clothes, I simply put them in a washer and press start. The families of El Espino do not have that easy access to clean water. Even with this lack of water, I did notice that the community members were close-knit. They took care of one another in a way I had never seen before.

The service-learning experience allowed me to learn many things that I still think about today. If you are interested in the Honduras Water Project, and/or other opportunities the Micah Centre has to offer, look at their website for more information about how to become involved.

Take care,
Kena