By Paul Sullivan
On February 9, 2019, Randy Tipple and myself, Paul Sullivan, parishioners of St. Mark, returned from the Trà Éch parish in Vietnam. 10 Biosand water filters were constructed by Trà Éch parishioners and 7 have been installed. There is a 30-day period after installation to build up the necessary bio-layer and have a fully functioning filter. The first filters will be fully functional the third week of February.
Working with Fr. Minh, we were able to map a “way forward” to fund and install the next 50 filters. Thanks to many generous donations, the Bridges of St. Mark can provide funds for an additional filter mold, material, and labor to produce and install 2 filters per week over the next 6 months. Additional funds will be necessary to schedule a follow up visit by the trainers from the Cambodian organization, WASH SDO. That visit will also serve as a quality control review of installed filters and production procedures.
We were also able to outline a plastic re-cycling program for the parish as there is no process to reclaim or even collect plastic refuse at Trà Ếch. This project will involve a small weekly stipend to encourage parishioners to gather plastic and bring it to the church where it can be weighed and collected for transport by rental truck to re-cycling centers in Can Thó. The re-cycling centers pay a small amount for the plastic and this can be used to offset the project costs. Collection of re-cyclable plastic refuse addresses both sanitation and environmental pollution issues.
And the Bridge…
The Trà Éch parish sits on a peninsula with just one access route. That access is already slanting significantly due to erosion. Loss of access for parishioners would cut off food and medical aid that Fr. Minh has been able to establish in his first 7 months at Trà Éch.
Fr. Minh has been in touch with local engineers and has plans for a bridge that would provide continued access to the parish. The cost is $24,000 US. Bridges of St. Mark will be seeking assistance over the next few months to provide funds for this bridge prior to the rainy season.