On October 8th, 2021, life in the rural community of El Chaparral was transformed. The moment clean water burst from the pipes on their water system’s inauguration day, these 66 families rejoiced. The entire community celebrated the gift of running water that would change everything, especially their health, for the better forever.
But things weren’t always this way, especially not for little José Daniel Ramos.
The picture to the left depicts his old normal – gathering contaminated water from a shallow, hand-dug well.
Before his community partnered with Amigos for Christ, at the young age of 8, José Daniel was suffering from severe stomach pain and bowel issues. He and his parents traveled far distances down dusty roads, taking buses and taxis to receive higher quality medical care and to complete medical tests. The ultimate culprit – intestinal parasites that caused severe gastritis. Intestinal parasites are preventable through clean water, improved infrastructure, and habit changes such as regular handwashing. Our goal at Amigos for Christ is to reduce preventable diseases such as parasites.
Our Desire
Our desire is that families can live happy, healthy, and purposeful lives free from illness. José’s mom, Karen, shares the same desire. She would do anything so that her children can be healthy, and she has.
“It was heart breaking as a mother to watch my son be in so much pain and not know how to help him. We did everything we could locally in the nearby towns and had him tested for several things that all came back negative. It got to the point where nothing was helping, and we knew we had to travel to Chinandega to figure out what was going on and how to help our son.”
Traveling those long distances and making big financial sacrifices for medical care and medicine finally provided answers and allowed Jose Daniel to be diagnosed and cured.
So, what did October 8th mean for Karen and her son? A future of health. Thanks to the clean running water, and soon to be Modern Bathroom—life looks, and will continue to look, very different for her and her children. In November, little José Daniel was tested again and he was free from the dangerous parasite that previously affected him and all other pathogenic parasites.
This is just the beginning for the Ramos family. Clean water has turned a page for them and started a new chapter – a chapter that will empower their health and development. Our team of Community Advocates will continue to work closely with their family and the other 65 families in El Chaparral to teach practical skills that will allow them to continue to thrive and grow in the areas of leadership, health, education, and economic development.
