Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Sustainable Water - A plea

As I was coming into the house today, coming back from the dog refuge yet again, I remembered what my friend Jackie Hastings had said one time while she and I were chatting when she was in Oaxaca. She asked me if I volunteered for anything here. I didn't, at the time, and told her that I had not found my "thing" yet. I now do some work with the Oaxaca Lending Library, and I for the past few years, I have helped with the dog refuge in Zaachila. I have posted about our work there on this blog in the past.

Today, I am doing something I am remarkably uncomfortable with. Here we go...

I am asking for financial help from you, readers and friends. 

In a week of exasperation, of feeling my heart sinking, my spirits rather than soaring at the incredible work we are doing at the refuge, I felt dispair. Again, we were without water. When we should be cleaning the cement floors of the pens we helped build, we were so short on water that we didn't even wash our hands as we left to drive home, as I wondered how the hell we were going to get water, I thought - I can't do this anymore. I can't keep wondering, every week, not only where food is coming from, but if there is going to be enough water. It's not all about kissing puppies.



I believe in God. You don't have to, but I do. And so, as we are driving away and all I want to do is pull the car over and have a good cry, I see a sign on the side of the road. "POZOS". Wells. Water. I pull over and tell Carlos to go take a picture of the sign. He gets back in the car and we look at each other. Water.

As we are driving away, talking about what our rescue friends were telling us a few weeks back - that the federal government has been fining people for putting in wells, we see a man on the side of the road riding his bicycle, to which is strapped to the back a black sign with brightly painted letters. It says: POZOS. Wells. I tell Carlos to call the number that was on the sign. I took it as a sign from God. Well, I guess, two signs from God. Dig, Tanya.

And so, we made the arrangements and the guys came, three of them on bicycles, with little divining tools in their backpacks, and they said for 10,000 pesos of labour and about 5000 pesos of materials, we could have a well in two days. Sustainable water in two days. It seemed impossible. I had to ask - were there any laws preventing us from having a well? Their answer: not at this time. And so, I agreed. We would dig. And the dogs would have water. And you know how I decided to not look any further for other guys who also do the same work, and maybe for a better price? They were good with the dogs. These three guys walked their bicycles from before the entrance gate to the refuge, and calmly walked through the sea of fur and barking to where the water was closest and as they answered my many questions, they pet our resident pitbull, Barbie, and played with our old chubby girl, and so I said yes. I didn't and still don't know where all the money will come from, but it will come.

Can you dig into your pockets and help me dig for water?

  • Canadian? Send me an email money transfer to tanyalapierre@hotmail.com
  • American: PayPal your gift to info@gowelltours.com or rdgault65@gmail.com
  • Oaxacan or in Oaxaca: Contact me at 951 287 42 88 and I'll make meet up arrangements, or leave me your donation with either Dr. Sonia at Veterinario Madera (DivisiĆ³n Oriente 315) or at the Circulation Desk at the Oaxaca Lending Library in an enveople with my name on it (Tanya Lapierre)


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