Challenge Poverty (with Save the Children)

[Shawn]

Choosing has always been the hardest part of this project. I've tried my best to share all the emotions I've had during this project like the joy of helping children in the Hill-Tracts, or the anguish and sense of powerlessness during Cyclone Sidr disaster relief, or the craziness involved in reaching some remote rural village. With this latest video, I'm sharing the toughest reality of this project: being forced to choose.

With this video, there is no wrong answer - only tough choices.

There are a total of five options but there is only enough money to do maybe two or three of them. The options are:

• Build a Deep-Tube Well *
• Build a Pond-Sand Filter (aka PSF or Biosand Filter) *
• Buy 80 Salter Scales **
• Build a School Latrine *
• Repair a School Damaged by Cyclone Sidr ***

I haven't listed prices but I have put a * star to indicate 1/3rd of the budget. So, the school repair would take up 100% of the budget (***), 80 Salter Scales would take up 2/3rds of the budget (**), and a School Latrine, Pond Sand Filter, and a Deep Tube Well each cost approximately 1/3rd of the budget (*).

The reason I am not mentioning the prices is because, with the downturn in the global economy, the price of raw materials is rising everyday. I've accounted for that and have budgeted for price changes. The other big reason I'm not mentioning prices is that I'm not trying to use this as an appeal for more money.

In fact, even if I could do all five, there are tons of things I saw out there that are equally as important. We will always be forced to choose...

Option #1 The Deep Tube Well

If you are going to get water from underground water sources, you need a deep tube well. It's called "deep" because you literally need to drill quite a bit underground. This particular deep tube well reaches to an underground water source 1,000 feet underground. You need to drill that deep because the water just underground is full of salt.

The Big Upside: Deep tube well have been around for ages. They are the most reliable way to get clean and safe drinkable water. It's also rather cheap - potentially using only 1/3rd of the budget I've got for this region.

The Big Downside: Underground water in this region has heavy iron deposits. The water comes out reddish. It's safe to drink but you can't use it for cooking (as it spoils a lot of food).


This option touches upon (in one way or another) on the following Millennium Development Goals:

Option #2 The Deep Tube Well

A lot of people bathe and drink from pond water instead. Pond water doesn't have the iron problem found in the deep tube well, but pond water can often be full of bacteria, worms, and dangerous parasites. Save the Children helps to make pond water safe with something called the Pond Sand Filter.

The Big Upside: It's a proven way of providing water that is not only safe to drink but also safe to cook with. The pumping system is also the easiest I've ever seen.

The Big Downside: Pond sand filters are a filter-based system. And like any filter, sooner or later, you'll need to repair and/or replace it. Save the Children USA tells me their pond sand filters last a minimum of two years - that's a long time, but it's not permanent.


This option touches upon (in one way or another) on the following Millennium Development Goals:

Option #3: Buy 80 Salter Scales

I'm sure you already know the depressing facts about how many children die in the developing world each day. It's true that between pregnancy and the age of five is the most vulnerable time due to disease and malnutrition. Save the Children is trying to fight infant and child mortality with a program called "Survive 'Till Five". This program needs weighing scales (called Salter Scales) in order to monitor the weight and development of babies.

The Big Upside: Monitoring weight is a simple but critical part of preventing child and infant mortality.

The Big Downside: Even though any one Salter Scale isn't that expensive, Save the Children has specifically requested 80 because they want to ensure fair treatment and distribution. They don't want mothers going to one medical center and not the other because one center has a Salter Scale and another doesn't. So either we help everyone or none at all.

This option touches upon (in one way or another) on the following Millennium Development Goals:

Option #4: Build a School Latrine

When I was in high school, I knew a lot of people that didn't care to use the bathrooms at school. That's fine when you have running water and a bathroom back home. But, in rural areas like Barguna, the bathroom facilities at school are usually the only proper facilities many children have access to.

The Big Upside: A school latrine is an easy way to make sure a school is a healthy place.

The Big Downside: The only real downside is public perception. People can brag about sponsoring a child. Building a bathroom? Ehh... not so much.

This option touches upon (in one way or another) on the following Millennium Development Goals:

Option #5: Help Rebuild a School Damaged by Cyclone Sidr

There are a lot of emotions tied to this option. It's shocking to see a school remain in disrepair so long after Cyclone Sidr hit. It's depressing to think that children still go to this place to study - even though not a single classroom is usable. It's also frustrating knowing that - in order to make significant repairs to this school - all the other options would have to be forfeited.

Repairing a school - like this co-ed secular junior high school is one of the options available as part of this operation. But, the downside is that it would take up the entirety of the budget I've made.

This option touches upon (in one way or another) on the following Millennium Development Goals:

How To Vote:

Leave a comment or video response to this video. Video responses preferred :)

[Shawn]

Hey Monique! Not yet. I still have left voting open. But the voting is pretty strong for one of the options. So that I at least know what I'm doing for SOME of the options...

[Monique Martinez]

Have you decided which option you are going to do yet? I think they are all great ideas, and I know that whichever one is chosen it will benefit the people there, and that is awesome!!!