Copy of August 4 - Dr. Deborah Walters

Deb kayaked from Maine to Guatemala

A tv producer once asked “what went wrong in your life to make you do this?”  Deb said Rotary!

 

Her goal was 2,500 miles but got to 1,509 miles when she had to get emergency spinal surgery

During her recovery she continued with speaking engagements

 

She had pledged to kayak 2,500 miles – she felt like she had fallen short.

Got after her recovery, she got back in the kayak in South Carolina – ran into Hurricane Joaquin

Because of all of the flooding, the rivers were too flooded to kayak – filled with flood debris.

 

On January 30 – completed 2,503 miles and finished her journey in the keys.

Raised over $425,000 for Safe Passage – some with a global grant.

 

Media coverage – one day 118 stations across the country shared her story

She was excited when Fox News said that she was "Powered by Paddle & Passion"

 

She received the Rotary Women of Action Award – UN Award for work to eliminate global poverty.

 

She received this recognition for her work to help create a gravity fed water system.

Clean water and sanitation

Total raised $256,017 for this project

 

What’s Next?

Another kayaking challenge coming up

50k to lake circumnavigation to raise money for ALDEA

 

Working on clean water & sanitation as well as malnutrition issues.

 

Training women in the village as health promoters.

Providing prenatal and children’s vitamins

Starting gardens to grown healthy foods.

Also need more protein – each woman will be given a goat.

Each family that gets a goat, pledges to give a baby goat to a neighbor.

 

ALDEA stays in villages for 2-3 years and then leaves – creates a program that is self-sustaining.

 

Q&A

Volcanos a problem?

The volcanos don’t worry her as much as the earthquakes in Guatemala

 

Lake Atilan in crises?

Same has problems with agricultural run off – it’s improving, but it’s not quite there yet.

 

What is the follow up with ALDEA on these villages?

They have great assessment tools.  They find out what problems a program may have had and adjust accordingly.  All of the staff is Mayan – so they speak the language and are present in the communities.

 

Are the men engaged in these projects?

Traditional division of labor – men are doing all of the physical labor on the water system.  The water committee is all men – they told them that Rotary couldn’t help out unless women weren’t participating.  They started a women’s water committee.

 

When are you going back?

She returns in April & then June – Innova has donated a folding, inflatable kayak.

 

Brain drain out of villlages?

Safe passage graduates are earing 5x the family income.

If you can provide better opportunities for folks in Guatemala they will want to stay there.

 

Changes at Safe Passage?

We had been outsourcing education to the local schools which weren’t very good.  They converted programs from after school to all day one grade at a time.  Now the kids are all there all of the time.  They have had to add new buildings.  Still need new classrooms – in the silent phase of a capital campaign to create more classrooms.

 

Is there exchange taking place between safe passage & the highlands?

The most direct connection is through the curriculum – designed in Guatemala

We took that curriculum to some schools in the Highlands.