Honduras

For three weeks (end of January into February 2011), ONE DROP Project Manager Tania Vachon was in Honduras and El Salvador to further develop partnerships and start up initiatives.

Spending her first week in Honduras, Tania worked with Pascale Gravel-R, researcher and facilitator at Université Laval, on a creative, collective experience entitled “tryptic”—an artistic endeavour that came out of the needs expressed by the partners at the 2010 second annual international meeting on water, social arts and popular education. This successful water-themed artistic performance serves to reinforce the synergy between the Honduras Project’s partners, and testifies to the expertise of all partners of ONE DROP.

In the following two weeks, Tania found herself in El Salvador, working once more with partners from Quebec’s Théâtre Parminou and Théâtre de l’Aubergine to start up production on a social arts and popular education initiative in the form of a multi-disciplined show. Her visit also provided the opportunity to work with El Salvador Project partner AMS to study the causes of water problems affecting communities where the ONE DROP project is operating. Tania and her team headed out to the affected area to plan educational workshops using professionals and locals. These invaluable workshops help ONE DROP and its partners better understand how water-related problems affect children and adults in the area, as well as what, precisely, they know about the issue.

Four employees of Cirque du Soleil made their way to Honduras at the end of August 2010. A hat designer, a costume maker, a financial analyst and a communications specialist—plus two ONE DROP representatives—had the opportunity to experience, first hand, what life is like for Hondurans working with ONE DROP. It was also a chance to share their own skills and knowledge with locals.

During their week-long stay, the group shared the local families’ everyday life, including readying a field for planting in scorching heat. When visiting the Gota magica centre, they hosted workshops on how to make jewellery and bags from leftover fabrics, and coached the centre’s secretary on the uses of Excel and Google. A good time was had by all!

One member wrote that she came home impressed with the scope of the technical and artistic aspects of ONE DROP’s Project Honduras, and how it all springs hope and optimism to a disillusioned people. “The ONE DROP families and youth we visited and worked with were very impressed with delegation members’ commitment and generosity,” says ONE DROP project manager, Tania Vachon, who accompanied the group. “Their visit will be remembered for a long time.”

Learn more about the Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project.

From September 2009 to March 2010, a particularly severe drought triggered by El Niño hit Honduras, particularly the south of the country where ONE DROP is active. Significant losses have been observed in cornerstone crops such as corn and beans. This situation further heightens already prevalent food insecurity among families and has a direct impact on the revenues of farmers and on child nutrition.

Last April, many experts predicted a harsh winter for Central America. The United States’ Climate Prediction Center confirmed the arrival of La Niña in July-August. The onset of La Niña resulted in significantly increased rainfall and chances of hurricanes and tropical storms, which in turn adversely affect crops.

This is dire news for Honduras, a country that has had its share of problems with tropical storm Agatha in May 2010, in addition to the rainy season that began a month ago. Fortunately, irrigation systems put in place by the ONE DROP team were not affected by the heavy rains as they were built far away from watercourses. However, the prevalence of insects and diseases due to the excessive rainfall decreased vegetable production. Far from giving up, field partners have adapted their work schedules to the tough conditions on the ground.

Learn more about the Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project.

Our Honduran partner Teatro Taller Tugucigalpa (TTT) is working on a second awareness-raising show. The company’s first production, ¡Canícula!, dealt with water shortage. This time around, TTT teamed up with Théâtre de l’Aubergine and Théâtre Parminou to create Rio Abajo, a show about the various causes of groundwater contamination.

The show consists of three acts: Once Upon a Time, The Search for the Elixir, and The Council of Elders. The final act features a spirited discussion among the village dwellers who accuse one another of contaminating their drinking water. During the exchange, they realize that their behaviour is at the heart of the problem, and that the solution lies in their willingness to curb their bad habits.

For many months now, Théâtre de l’Aubergine and Théâtre Parminou have been working on staging this show, whose audience will consist mostly of farmers. Featuring, amongst other things, circus techniques, Rio Abajo is in line with ONE DROP’s desire to support the social changes required to make safe water accessible to all.

Learn more about the Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project.

While the word canícula may roll easily off the tongue, in Honduras it can mean dry, thirsty mouths. In this Central American country, canícula refers to periods of extreme heat, with no rain. In 2009, however, canícula took on a more positive meaning when Teatro Taller Tegucigalpa—in collaboration with ONE DROP and Quebec theatre companies Théâtre de l’Aubergine and Théâtre Parminou—developed ¡Canícula!, a multidiscipline show that toured towns where ONE DROP was at work. Seen by 17,200 Hondurans, ¡Canícula! is the tale of four animal characters and their quest for water during a time of drought. The story’s characters learn about pesticides and pollution as they meet animals and humans coping with the lack of water.

On April 15, 2010, ¡Canícula! was performed for representatives of international aid organizations and the media in the capital city of Tegucigalpa as part of a gala evening highlighting ONE DROP’s social arts and popular education initiatives. Later this year, ONE DROP and the creators of ¡Canícula! will unveil a new stage production that will tour Honduras, entertaining people and raising communities’ awareness about the importance of water in our lives.

Learn more about the Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project.