Wine to Water....
Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico. October 13, 2018
This area of Mexico, the state of Chiapas, is the poorest state in Mexico. There are beautiful rivers, forests, jungles, mountains, and plenty of rainfall. However, all of fresh water is contaminated. From animals and people bathing and urinating (and more) in the rivers, direct dumping of human waste in the waterways, and the lack of sewage control or water filtration plants. Few people even have piped in or direct access to running water of any sort.
The vast majority of people use water directly from the pipes, and know enough to boil water for drinking, or they purchase the large bottles of purified water. All of these options still cause major health and economic concerns.
The advent of the Sawyer filters will slowly revitalize the lives of these native Tzeltal Indians.
As a nurse and frequent traveler to this area, I have had the privilege of being part of the Filtered water revolution here! Our short term medical caravan travelers have carried these filters down by hand. Our brother, Sebastian has taken this task to heart. He and the nurse in the clinic we built, have worked together to distribute the filters, first to patients sick with digestive and other problems of poor water, and then to others. I have had the privilege of working in The clinic, advising and educating patients on hygiene and disease prevention, and recommending the filters. I then was able to accompany Sebastian to make follow up visits to the families of filter users.
Here are a few stories!
MIGUEL lives on the outskirts of Ocosingo, up the steep hill, near the clinic. He has an auto repair business. We met him in his work yard. He is actively using the filter without issue. He speaks highly of the clean water and the economic benefit. He asked if he should also brush his teeth with the clean water. I, of course, said yes...
MANUEL is a friendly, stately man of some years. His house is cement, built in levels going down and clinging to the side of the mountain. It felt like tunnels in a Mayan ruin! He initially bought one filter, and then returned and purchased 6 more for the rest of his extended family! He also is a big proponent of the filter , saying it has definitely made them feel better, with less stomach distress. I encouraged him to also wash his dishes in The clean water. 
IRIS. is a young mom, with a baby (seen in the hammock). She has a large tank for (dirty) water in her front yard. There is a line running to her house from a government tank. However, despite the abundance of rain, the water is rationed, so that rolling parts of the town have water rationed to receive only 2 days per week. When the tank is filled, she then can filter any number of bottles to keep on hand. She recognizes the health benefits and says since using the filter, her mom no longer has digestive issues. I reminded her of the health benefits for her small baby.
SEBASTIAN AND HIS WIFE...live with various family members, daughters, grandchildren in a cement home. It is cool within, with a row of rooms, like a motel. Small trees and plants line the walk and provide shade. They have a small tank and a large sink filled with visibly dirty water. As with the others, the dirty water is only provided 2 days per week. The family recognizes the value of the filter and is extremely grateful to use one in their home. Some small reminders and education were given. 
JORGE...lives behind a tall, rough wooden fence next to a large uninhabited cement building in the town of Ocosingo. Behind the fence is a yard filled with turkeys, chicks, roosters, papaya trees, a bush of beautiful bougain villa, and laundry hanging on a line. Their small cement 3 room house is furnished simply. Jorge was having some difficulty the filter. Sebastian assisted and offered solutions to filter the dirty water successfully. We took the filter and some waxter to test, and replaced his with a new Sawyer filter. He was very grateful, as he was aware of the economic and health benefits of the clean water provided by the filter. 
The last home we visited this day was the most difficult to get to! Even though we knew the barrio which was up the mountain on the outskirts of Ocosingo, finding the exact house was difficult. Finally with the assistance and guidance of a little girl, she led us to the hut. We followed her up and down 2 steep alleys, down a steep long cement stairway to another level, through barbed wire and across a field, to finally reach the home. A family with several young women and several children greeted us. This family used a lot of water and were very happy with the knowledge of better health and the saving of money from having to haul firewood or purchase bottles of water. However, their Uzima filter was not working well . They were not able to clean the filter with the syringe provided and thus the water filtered only drop by drop. Still, they were grateful and were glad we came by to check. We took equipment to replace. 
Respectfully submitted
Carolina Vogel, RN
Sent from Carolyn's I Pad
new microwave! 
We packed up the gifts and headed back to Ocosingo
CARAVANA MEDICA
SEBA TEACHES AND INSTRUCTS ON THE USE OF THE FILTERS