Chip & Lucy Swab: Local Community Heroes

“I really believe strongly that becoming a resident somewhere means becoming part of the community. Getting involved is really an investment in your own physical and emotional well-being…[it’s] an important way to build your own community.”

– Chip Swab

Maybe we can start off by you guys telling us when the two of you became San Miguel residents

We moved here in October 2011. We’ve been in San Miguel for 11 years now. It’s really been great.

What motivated you to take a more active role in the community after getting here?

Available time wasn’t something we had a lot of during our working years and we were looking forward to being able to do more once we retired, and we’re happy that it worked out that way. One of the attractions of San Miguel is that there are quite a few groups with good causes that people can dedicate time, effort and money to. So, over some time, we’ve gotten involved in a few, including Caminos de Agua.   

What are some of the things that have been most rewarding about your activism and work in the community?

I got involved with Feed The Hungry. They maintain 36 kitchens at rural schools all around San Miguel. During the school year, the kids get three nutritious meals a day, and that’s just so important. So, I became the coordinator for the delivery drivers. Every Tuesday, I get 33 drivers and vehicles out to the kitchens with a week’s worth of food. As a result, I’ve gotten the chance to spend quite a bit of time out in the countryside – witnessing the problems with water in these communities. I’ve literally seen wells fail and collapse. It’s so clear that the aquifer is getting lower, and not slowly. Often, the only solution for communities is getting water trucked in, which is very expensive for these people. 

How did you first become aware of Caminos de Agua and our work? 

A: Several years ago, a good friend got involved with Caminos and got me to agree to come visit with you guys and learn about your organization. Then, we decided to have some involvement as supporters, and, over time, we’ve seen how you work, visited sites like Los Ricos where you have projects, and really gained a deeper understanding of the problem and the importance of your work. So we’ve increased our commitment. From another direction, all of my wife’s family is from Mexico so that just increases our level of interest. So many people move here – and think it’s just like the states where you turn on the faucet and get water – they have no idea of what their own problems might be or how it’s affecting the rest of the broader community. They just need to get educated. None of us can live too long without water, it’s critical to our existence.

Photo: Chip Swab at the far left, addressing guests during an educational event hosted at this home

Being that you’ve spent so much time in the rural areas, have there been experiences related to water that affected you on a personal level?

Well, there is this community called La Palma. When I first started going out there, they had a very old well, and it was clear that the water level had dropped quite a bit. They were using a burro (“donkey”) that they had tied to a rope. They dropped these big buckets down into the well, and the burro pulled it up full of water. One time, quite a while later, I was out that way again, and when I saw that there was no more rope, burro, or man – it was obvious, but I asked the principal at the school anyway. The well had collapsed and the community no longer had a source of water of any kind.   

In your travels out in the country have you seen health impacts from the water issues we’ve been discussing? 

Absolutely, the first sign is the browning of the teeth [dental fluorosis from excessive levels of fluoride in the water], especially among children. You see it all over the place, and you know that is just the beginning. All the other larger problems Caminos talks about are then right around the corner.  

So, what would you say to a new SMA resident about the meaningfulness of getting involved with a cause in San Miguel?

I think the first thing is for them to understand how many different opportunities there are to get involved with here, what the work is, and what fits their interests. Then, do you want to get actively involved or be more of a financial supporter? Or maybe both? That’s a personal choice. I really believe strongly that becoming a resident somewhere means becoming part of the community. Getting involved is really an investment in your own physical and emotional well-being. Doing the work that I do, I have also met so many people I’m so happy to know. That’s an important way to build your own community. 

I’d also say: Get out of your own environment. Go out into the country, maybe with Caminos de Agua, and see what life is like for these people, what good fine people they are, but, nonetheless, how they have to struggle day to day, especially when they lose their water or it becomes contaminated. Learn how devastating that is. And witness, first hand, that with it all how hard they are willing to work to get water access back for their families and their neighbors.  

Photo: A group portrait of children in front of a Rain Water Harvesting System in Los Ricos, near San Miguel de Allende.