January 4, 2007
Dear Franklin County Dowsers,Steve Herbert needs our support . . .
Many of you who know of my work with the ASD Water for Humanity Fund also know that I have traveled to many other countries on a volunteer basis to promote dowsing and conduct a variety of water resources projects. While a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa, I dowsed well sites all over that country and designed and built composting latrines in addition to my primary duties as an Agroforestry Extension Agent. After Hurricane Mitch hit Central America, I made my first trip to Honduras under sponsorship of the US Partners of the Americas program to train dowsers as a way of helping restore water resources. Over five more trips with POA I worked also in El Salvador and Haiti, and worked peripherally in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic. Gradually my work expanded to also training people to drill, to select appropriate pumping technology, promoting composting latrines and introducing water filters. My most recent trip, this past winter, was taken without the advantage of a POA travel grant, requiring me to raise my own funding. The up side was I had more flexibility and visited projects in three countries (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) over six weeks.
Those of you who are members of ASD may be aware that the general funds of WFH go strictly only to actual well or water resources development, and not to travel. However, contributors do have the option to specify that their donation go to a restricted fund, for a specific country, project, or volunteer travel expenses. Even when I had the POA travel grants, I still had to raise funds for supplemental project expenses, translator fees, etc. This has been raised before through the generous donations of ASD chapters, individual dowsers, friends, family and church and civic groups.
Below is a list of all the countries and projects I plan to visit this next trip (January to March 2007), and more countries and projects to which I have been invited. How much I can do and how long I can stay depends on how much funding I can raise. I would very much appreciate your support for what I feel is a very good cause. Checks may be written to Water for Humanity as long as you make a notation in the lower left corner to the effect “Steve Herbert travel & project expenses”. They also may be made out to Steve Herbert or Water for Humanity. That way I am able to cash them myself directly. Either way, it qualifies as a tax deductible contribution. They can be mailed to ASD or to me at 31 Herbert Lane, Littleton, NH 03561. This year’s plans are exciting as it will be my first time expanding this work into South America, though I will make a multi-country tour to follow up on projects in Central America on the return. To all who contribute I will send a personal account and a formal report at the conclusion of the trip. Thank you to all of you who make this possible.Blessings,SteveI can be reached at (603) 616-7872 (cell) or waterdowser@hotmail.com
SOUTH AMERICA
ECUADOR
Lunahuasi, province of Puerto Quito A grant from WFH in 2002 funded the development of a dug well for a center and school for shamanism, native spiritual traditions and indigenous medicine in the Amazon rainforest (www.familyluna.com). I have made contact with Mr. Eduardo Luna to arrange a visit and offer dowsing training and workshops in other aspects of water resources development.
Cotacachi Vermonter Pete Shear is former director of the Central America program at Burlington College and currently directs CASA (Inter-American Center for the Arts, Sustainability and Action www.casainteram.org) from his home here in Ecuador. He has invited me here to give dowsing and water resources workshops as part of a team of many experts in sustainable development.
Manabi Here on the Pacific coast it is very dry, as moisture drops east of the mountains paralleling the coastline. I have been in touch with a friend of Jerry Burt’s by the name of Miguel Castanel, who is a native of Ecuador and naturalist / interpreter. Miguel is willing to introduce me to an organization called UPOCAM to see what I and WFH can do about the water crisis there where I will also offer my usual trainings.
Vilcabamba If time and funds permit, I will visit this rainforest land preserve and eco-center (www.ieeni.org).
NICARAGUAI gave dowsing instruction here in Esteli in the year 2000, and WFH committee member Don Nolan has made several trips here under sponsorship of the US Partners of the Americas program. This year I have been invited by Ron Rivera of the organization Potters for Peace. Ron is an American ex-pat living in Nicaragua and with this organization manufactures household ceramic water filters which are very effective in reducing water-borne diseases in the 14 countries they operate in. Ron suggested I tour the filter factory in Managua and also nearby one of the largest producers of the “rope & washer” pump. We will discuss collaborating to further promote the ceramic water filters and arrange some trainings while I am there.
EL SALVADOR
ASAPROSAR In El Salvador I have worked with the Salvadoran Association for Rural Health (ASAPROSAR – www.asaprosar.org) on five previous occasions, training dowsers and presenting water resources workshops. They are the owners of one of the DeepRock HydraDrills (portable drilling equipment) donated by WFH (here in partnership with Heifer Project International), to who I have also given training on operation and maintenance. I intend to follow up on these projects and with a grant from WFH purchase ceramic water filters to introduce to ASAPROSAR target villages.
Mira Flores This community, near the international airport, is a principle target village of the local NGO (non-governmental organization) Manos Amigas (Helping Hands) based in San Salvador. Manos Amigas collaborates with the US-based (NY) NGO Pediatricians for Central Americas Children (PCAC – www.latininos.org) who first contacted me for help with the water situation in Mira Flores. When I arrived, the villagers had no water except what was brought in on a tanker truck at exorbitant prices. I did a dowsing survey, and the site I picked next to the new clinic was later drilled by the US-based sectarian NGO Living Waters International. They hit water about where I predicted and there was so much water that it was spurting ten feet out of the ground! Now, WFH has provided funds for the construction of a composting latrine on the other side of the clinic. This will eliminate the need to use precious water in flush latrines, and will protect the groundwater. This trip I would like to see what more I can do about the water situation, offer trainings, and observe the construction or completion of the composting latrine. I will also offer further help to Habitat El Salvador in promoting composting latrines.
San Jose Villanueva Here I taught a dowsing course on the largest organic farm in the country, owned by my host in San Salvador, Melinda Altschul and her family. Melinda has the idea to establish a center for appropriate technology modeled on Gaviotas in Columbia, and I would like to explore further the possibility of setting this up.
US PEACE CORPS I have collaborated with US Peace Corps volunteers before, both visiting their host villages to dowse and they interpreting for me. If time permits, I would like to offer a dowsing course at PC headquarters in El Salvador, water resources courses in villages selected by Water & Sanitation director Angelina Zamboni, and further collaborate with Rolando Barillas, who is a director at PC and also a volunteer with the POA program.
HONDURASCEASO Honduras was where it all started when I was first invited by the US Partners of the Americas program (www.partners.net) in 1999 to help restore water resources in the wake of Hurricane Mitch by training dowsers. POA collaborates with a network of Centers for Teaching and Learning in the country and the Honduras Conservation Corps. The CEA network and HCC were the recipients of the first drill donated by WFH, which I trained people to operate and maintain in addition to the whole gamut of water resources workshops I have given them over five previous visits. On every visit I am hosted by one of the CEA centers, located in Siguatepeque, a center for sustainable agriculture, run by the Santos family. This and other CEA centers have requested my return to conduct more dowsing trainings. I also want to follow up on the project last year in building a slow-sand biofilter for households, and further collaborate with Habitat for Humanity’s office in Siguatepeque to promote the composting latrines.Norma I. Love Foundation, Mocoron, La Mosquitia Quite by chance, while on my previous visit to Honduras, I was invited to visit the remote Mosquito Coast to do a survey of dug wells and pumps in various states of disrepair. Now that USAID is putting in a water system there, WFH’s help with wells is no longer a priority. However, this organization has asked for a composting latrine as a pilot project to introduce them to the Mosquito Indians.
IF TIME PERMITS…
GuatemalaLast trip I taught a dowsing workshop at the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute (IMAP) near San Lucas Toliman on the shores of Lake Atitlan. The class selected a well site which needs to be drilled, solar or wind pumping technology selected and tank and distribution system set up to benefit this center for sustainable agriculture and the surrounding village.
Belize
This is the only Central America country I have not yet visited, but I would like to visit the projects of the US-based NGO Sustainable Harvest International (SHI – www.sustainableharvest.org), and since they also have projects in Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, set up a collaboration.
Bolivia
WFH committee member Silvana Castillo visited an organization called Jarana in this country while there on another project. A WFH grant was awarded to purchase drilling equipment for this group, and they have requested someone come to present a dowsing workshop. I would like to do this for them, possibly with Silvana, and observe how the drilling project is going.
MY “WISH LIST” FOR FUTURE
TRIPS
ASIA
India, state of Tamil NaduBrother James Kimpton, Catholic missionary, dowser and director of the local NGO Reaching the Unreached was the first recipient of a grant from WFH. He has received a WFH grant every year since, and over that time, several other Indian NGOs have been funded by WFH. India has received more funding at this point than any other country, and thus a visit by a WFH representative is advantageous to meet its beneficiary organizations, offer trainings and visit completed and prospective projects.
AFRICA
Senegal
WFH once gave me a small grant while I was serving as a US peace Corps volunteer, which allowed me to dowse all over this country in West Africa. Later another grant funded the digging of a well here, in addition to the well project I did while there with funding through Peace Corps. Being familiar with the country and being somewhat able to speak the language I would like to start more projects here.
Tanzania
Having done only one project so far on this entire continent, I feel WFH needs to establish more of a presence in Africa. Recently I have been communicating with a Jacqueline Ambrose of Hawaii, a former resident of Tanzania and who is acting as a liaison for a project with the Anglican Church of Tanzania Development Office near Tabora. Also, another project is in the works through a Mr. Harry Twitchell of Vermont, a friend of fellow Danville Chapter member Frank Swift.
Kenya
For years, the Mathengeta Water Project here has been struggling to materialize through liaison Mark Fulford, WFH Advisor, and his contact, Mr. Edward Chege. A personal visit could help get this rolling. Also, there is the potential to do projects in this country with a US-based NGO called Expanding Opportunities (www.exop.org). It is run by a woman by the name of Beverly Stone, who lives in the Belfast area of Maine and who Mark Fulford and I have met with.
Burkina Faso tribe of the Dagara. She is the wife of Malidoma Patrice Some, the author of the incredible book Of Water and the Spirit.
Ghana
Monica Weston is a native of Sweden, and director of a US-based NGO called World of Hope International (www.wohi.org). We have been in touch also about the possibility of a WFH collaboration on projects in this country.
CENTRAL AMERICA
Panama
Chuck McLure of my same hometown of Littleton, NH, has approached me for help with a remote area of southern Panama where the local Indians are in great need of potable water sources.
GO TO: STEVE'S UPDATE for his February 2007 update
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