Clean Water, Lasting Impact: Diocese Supports Families in Honduras

For some families in rural Honduras, access to clean drinking water will soon become a little easier, thanks to the ongoing partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Central Florida and Honduras.

Through the Honduras Water Filter Project, Central Florida is helping provide household water filtration systems to families living in communities where access to safe drinking water can be difficult. The effort is part of a larger project that will provide filters to 160 families this year, according to the Rev. Canon Conseulo “Connie” Sanchez, canon to the ordinary in Honduras. It is offered as a new and different kind of giving opportunity from the annual diocesan Thanksgiving Offering, which goes to support a project chosen by the Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, Honduran bishop, each year.  Individual families along with church youth groups are encouraged to support the Honduras Water Filter project.

For Sanchez, who regularly travels to rural communities as part of her ministry, expanding the project means reaching families for whom clean water and basic sanitation can have a cyclical impact on everyday life.

The need is particularly acute in communities throughout Copán, Santa Bárbara and Honduras’ Dry Corridor, as well as other rural areas her diocese serves. In those areas, families may rely on water from wells or rivers where contamination can contribute to parasitic and bacterial infections, with children among the most vulnerable to the effects. Each infection prevents absorption of nutrients, leading to chronic cycles of malnutrition in thousands of children annually.

“At least 3 out of every 10 children under 5 years of age in Honduras suffer from some type of malnutrition due to lack of resources and limited diets,” Sanchez said.

Each filtration system costs $95, which includes a filter replacement. Filters have a two-year lifespan. The appeal came to the Diocese of Central Florida through Sanchez and the diocesan Honduras Commission, chaired by the Rev. Wesny Dubic, priest assistant, youth and family ministry, at St. James, Ormond Beach.

For Dubic, responding to the request is part of a larger relationship between the two dioceses that has taken shape over the years through numerous missions and projects. “Since the first day I became the chair of the Honduras Commission, I have always asked my Lord and Savior for strength to help as many people as I can in the Diocese of Honduras,” he said. “While I understand the many issues our brothers and sisters in Honduras have to deal with, God has not forgotten about any of his children.”

He explained that the commission is committed to serving as Christ’s hands and feet, supporting the work already taking place in Honduras.

While the needs facing rural Honduran communities can be significant, Dubic said he is continually encouraged by the way congregations and parishioners in Central Florida choose to support their companion diocese. The water filter project offers Central Florida Episcopalians another tangible way to participate in that shared ministry. Donations of any amount can help the project reach more families.

“It would be a blessing for our families in the rural area,” Sanchez said of the hoped-for support from Central Florida congregations. “May the God of hope, the God of life, continue to greatly bless the Diocese of Central Florida and all those who have a heart for the little ones.”

You may give online to the Honduras Walter Filter project through the diocesan website with the following steps:

• Go to the main menu at cfdiocese.org (top right) and select “Donate.”
• Click the “Select a fund” dropdown menu.
• Select “Diocese of Honduras.”
• In the “optional memo” field, type “Honduras Water Filter.”
• Fill in the amount and your email address.
• Click the “Continue” button and follow the prompts.

Mail checks payable to the Diocese of Central Florida with “Honduras Water Filter” in the memo to the diocesan office at the following address:

Diocese of Central Florida

1017 E. Robinson St.

Orlando, FL 32801