preview

San Gabriel Case Study

Better Essays

Step 1: Identify Preliminary Issues In San Gabriel, the majority of wells used to provide water to local inhabitants are contaminated with fecal coliform. Not only is the water dangerous to consume, but the houses that these individuals live in are not exactly the most safe, either. Most of the homes in San Gabriel are unstable with dirt floors and windows without any form of sealing. Different resources, varying from brick and adobe to cement and mud, help to form the walls. Ceramic tiles and metal laminate are used to make the roofs. Since San Gabriel is located in one of the hottest and driest areas of Honduras, the town’s ability to receive water is very limited. Dry seasons are long, and precipitation levels are fairly low. Because of …show more content…

Step 2: Analyze the Present Situation Given that diarrhea is the second leading cause for children under the age of five worldwide, it is extremely important that this issue is addressed (Andrade & Zoerhoff, 2012). The reason as to why diarrhea so commonly leads to death is because it is associated with dehydration and severe fluid loss, and since San Gabriel has such a low amount of water, the children here are more likely to develop diarrheal disease and die from it. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that diarrheal disease is a result of gastrointestinal infections. These infections occur because of bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms that can be transferred through the fecal-oral …show more content…

The funds can go towards hygiene improvement or it can go towards handwashing interventions. By offering hygiene promotion projects, it is said that diarrhea disease had reduced by 33%. Handwashing interventions decreased diarrhea by 43% (Andrade & Zoerhoff, 2012). Even so, there is still the dilemma of how to handle gray water. Gray water is the result of washing, cooking, bathing, and other similar actions. If this water is left standing for a long amount of time, then it can become extremely dangerous and infested with bacteria. This is a large problem within San Gabriel because it is an endemic region for a disease known as dengue fever. Having such a surplus of standing water leads to an increased opportunity for mosquitos to breed and multiply. It is believed that in order to make a noticeable and positive impact on health services within such a rural community, the efforts should be aimed towards a democratic and community-based social and economic development (Rutherford & Roux,

Get Access