COVID-19 UPDATE: Access to safe drinking water is even more critical during these challenging times. Find out how our staff is navigating the situation to find other ways to continue supporting the communities we serve in this update from the field. 

Dear EOS Supporters:

I hope you and your family and friends are safe and surviving the quarantine. It has been just over a month since we first took action in response to COVID-19. Learning more about the novel Coronavirus transmission, it is more important than ever that communities have access to safe and treated drinking water. Our staff is on the frontlines continuing to ensure that our customers have access to our water chlorinator solutions, chlorine tablets, technical support and maintenance, and education to prevent the spread of COIVD-19.

Our team has convened leaders in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) sector in Central America to discuss strategies, amid travel restrictions, to reach remote communities and provide them with water quality solutions. I am proud of our staff’s leadership on the front lines and appreciate all your support in the past to build up the infrastructure needed to respond during critical times like these. Please take a second to browse through photos over the past two weeks of our staff in the field (wearing PPE) making a difference.

We will continue to provide regular updates through our social media channels, website, and this newsletter of our work in Nicaragua and Honduras as we fight the pandemic.

On behalf of our staff and the people we serve in Central America, we thank you for your committed partnership and support during these challenging times.

Sincerely,

Wes Meier

Co-Founder & CEO

PS. Happy Earth Day…yesterday. We didn’t want to overwhelm your inbox and decided to send this out today. We hope you celebrated the great things Mother Earth has provided us!

Tuesday, April 21st: Update from the Field

Through recent collaborations and educational initiatives, our team has seen an increase in demand from rural communities and even businesses that provide water to hundreds of employees for drinking water quality solutions. Our Nicaragua Team is working closely with local Fruit and Vegetable Cooperatives by providing access to safe water for washing the produce before it is distributed to local stores. This is important in ensuring the produce is safe to consume.

Our staff in Honduras has been offering drinking water quality analysis to rural communities as well as distributing chlorine tablets to communities.

EOS’ Circuit Rider Willian Martinez (first two photos below) visits the community of Santa Cruz, Marcala in Honduras to check on the village’s water quality and deliver chlorine to Sr. Bautista, the community’s plumber.  Meanwhile, Circuit Rider Elias Mejia checks the chlorine levels in the community of Cabañas, Honduras.

EOS’ Safe Water Circuit Rider Carlos Izaguirre visits the communities of Mercedes de Oriente, Torrecilla and Matapalo in Honduras to monitor the safety of the village’s water supply. The government of Honduras has blocked off roads to many villages throughout Honduras to keep the spread of coronavirus however have allowed essential workers like our staff at EOS into the village so we can continue to ensure our rural communities are receiving safe drinking water. EOS also continues to deliver chlorine to the Water Boards and communities we serve throughout Honduras and Nicaragua.

Monday, April 13th: Update from the Field

This past week, the Secretary of Health in Honduras issued our staff a critical health pass allowing our team to resume the distribution of chlorine tablets to rural communities. The Honduran government has set up roadblocks outside of all major cities, halting transportation with the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. EOS staff has been very careful to monitor their health and wear proper personal protective equipment to not spread the virus during their work.

Government restrictions on work and travel have been much less in Nicaragua as compared to Honduras. However, we have set our own safety restrictions to limit transportation and group meetings to both protect our staff’s personal health as well as public health. Our staff is publicizing details about how to limit the transmission of COVID-19 as well as proper hygiene practices to our rural communities.

Here are a few updates from the field.

Before the stay at home order in Honduras Oneida Lara, EOS’ WASH School Education Coordinator visited schools like Jan Lindo in the Mogola Marcala La Paz Community to educate and reiterate the importance of proper handwashing in keeping the kids and their families safe from waterborne illnesses and coronavirus. Proper handwashing is more important than ever during the outbreak.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, EOS is continuing to distribute chlorine tablets on an ongoing basis and making calls with the water boards to monitor the safety of community water systems. It is more important than ever to ensure communities have safe drinking water to stay healthy in the midst of the pandemic.

Circuit Rider and Water Technician Elias Mejia continues to do his rounds in rural Honduras providing much-needed chlorine tablets and water monitoring to ensure that the communities we serve have safe drinking water. Most of the communities have been closed off to visitors except for essential services and workers like EOS.

We will continue to share regular updates of our work on social media and on our blog. We are grateful for your support!