Why it's Important to Give Back, Especially Now
AN INTERVIEW WITH CHIP AND LUCY SWAB
How are you two holding up during this difficult time?
“We’re concerned about how things are going to be in Mexico when this virus really hits, but, so far, we are fine, and we’re taking the necessary precautions. We need to stay home almost all the time, but that’s not so bad. We’re fortunate. I’ve seen the homes the people out in the campo [countryside] live in. They are very small and a lot of people live in them, contagion is going to be a big problem. They’re not going to have it easy, that’s for sure”
Chip, tell us a bit about your experiences and the water conditions out in the countryside.
“I’m a delivery coordinator for Feed The Hungry, which means I’m responsible for 33 vehicles and drivers and deliveries to 43 schools. I also deliver to one community myself, so I’ve seen a lot of these places. Some of them have wells, in some communities the wells collapsed and water has to be trucked in, and in others, people have to travel to pick up their water. I have so much respect for how they manage. Many of them have next to no water and agriculture is hard, but these people are resourceful and tough - and they make a life.”
What about water contamination out there?
“In a lot of the places they know their water is bad. Kids get brown teeth [dental fluorosis from excessive fluoride contamination in the water], and people have health issues. The water isn’t safe for drinking or cooking, but it’s all they’ve got. In quite a number of the schools that Feed The Hungry works in, we have to bring the water we use out there so it’s healthy for the kids. That’s why it’s so incredible when you see Caminos de Agua working in a community; you know they're going to help families or the whole community create their own water solutions – it changes everything for them.”
How do you think Coronavirus is going to affect these communities?
“I am really very worried. It is likely to spread very quickly. I pray that the summer heat and dryness helps mitigate the contagion. Otherwise, some of these communities will get hit really hard. They don’t have the information about what to do to protect themselves; they don’t have resources; once the virus gets going, the water transportation chain will break down. They are so far away from hospitals or even clinics.”
What has motivated you to do this work?
“We could live in San Miguel and lead an insular life, but being in the communities and helping out has made life much richer and much more meaningful. Once you see it, you just have to respond. If you don’t, I think you’ll have just a huge hole in your heart.”
How did you get involved with Caminos de Agua?
“Maybe three years ago, a friend of mine who knows that what happens in these communities is important to me, suggested I check out the work Caminos de Agua does. So, I looked at their website. Soon after, I got an email about a match campaign, so we gave. Lucy and I have been increasingly supporting them ever since.”
Your help will make a bigger difference now than ever before.
Just a few kilometers from urban San Miguel, and all over the state of Guanajuato, there are communities where there is little or no water, or where the water is contaminated, putting the health of residents at severe risk under any circumstances. But with Coronavirus about to strike hard, the threats are much greater. Saying it’s a matter of life or death is not an exaggeration.
That’s why we are continuing, even at this time, to do our work to bring more safe, clean water to more people who need it. It’s also why we are also creating an important community education program that will bring critically needed information into communities about how to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus and how to do it in conditions where water supplies are severely limited.