40 weeks without running water!? [Mission: Agua-Possible] is trying to help a thirsty neighborhood in Venezuela!

This is DRutter, and we're now on week 40 of Mission: Agua-Possible! This post updates our progress toward the goal of 1300 USD (in STEEM), for a well pump to bring water to the family farm of @EdgarGonzalez.

Background

Severe economic and political crisis over the past few years in the South American country of Venezuela intensified recently, as president Maduro doubled down on his currency manipulation, price-fixing, propagandizing citizens, and suppressing resistance. You've heard about the country's recent turmoil, but the world's media isn't showing us even half the reality!

I began to see more and more Steem users from Venezuela, and I started to hear their interesting stories - and ask questions. I discovered some dark truths about the economic and political situation there. Most shops are empty, the currency is collapsing, people are hungry - the economy is at a standstill. Theft, corruption, and violence escalate as society breaks down. Those who can are fleeing on foot - 4 million already. The harsh socialist government attempts to control/fix the economy, and blames problems on the people. Most government services (like running water) work only in certain areas - or not at all.

The people are desperate for any change and protests sometimes fill the streets for miles. Maduro announced that Venezuela will no longer accept US Dollars for oil exports, then tried to get his country's gold back from Bank of England, who refused. The Russian military has become involved, supporting Maduro. The Americans back a man called Guaidó, who also has little public support. Electrical blackouts happen regularly. It seems that violence is coming. Stability for the people appears out of reach.

Edgar

Months ago, I found the blog of Edgar (@edgargonzalez), a Venezuelan man about my age. He's a father of young children, and a professional whose job disappeared because of the crisis. He feeds his family by fishing, foraging for fruits, and growing cassava on his late-father's plantation. He uses Steemit to share his stories and earn Steem to buy food. Shortly after I met Edgar, a power outage caused a failure of the pump used to bring water up to the farm. A repairman confirmed the pump is beyond fixing. Edgar had been using his well to water his crops, and to provide drinking water to his children and other families in the neighborhood. Without a pump to bring water up from the aquifer, his garden output has dropped - and the neighborhood must forage for water elsewhere.

( Edgar borrowed a machine to grind his own corn this week. Supermarkets are empty and the currency is worthless, so basic foods like corn are extremely valuable for survival. Doing the grinding yourself brings down the cost, if you know somebody with the machine. )

Without government water services, and now without water from his well, Edgar and a few other families are in a tough situation. I wondered what a poor Canadian man could do to help. After using the Steem blockchain to learn about the problems, I realized that it could also be the SOLUTION!

That's when I first began Mission Agua-possible! Once we gather 1300 USD worth of Steem, I'll transfer it to Edgar, to be converted to cash to buy the pump.

Getting this pump for the farm as soon as possible is vital. Water is life!

After hitting 10%, we flatlined this week

Perhaps because we had to push hard to reach 10% completion last week, there were no direct donations or significant upvotes this week. And despite a massive bull run in the overall cryptocurrency market, STEEM is actually down from where it was 7 days ago. Ouch!

How would you like to be growing and grinding your own corn, so that you could make rudimentary bread from it, and relying on that bread to survive? Does that sound like something you could do, and have a smile on your face for the camera? Have you ever lived somewhere there isn't a supermarket available, stocked with food that you can afford to buy? These people are living through a nightmare right now, and many have already died, or fled on foot if they were able. Elderly, young families, many people have little to no food, water, medicine, or hope. What was once a great country and prosperous people, there is now a ruined society being plundered by corrupt despots.

I'd like to challenge you to put yourself in the shoes of these people, who did nothing wrong, but suddenly found themselves struggling to live. The constant fear and anxiety that you or your family members will fall ill and die, the malnutrition, the threat of violence, the lack of information, it's hard for most of us to imagine how that would be. I hope it never happens to anyone reading this. As the weeks and months go by without proper resolution, people's reserves dwindle, and even the strongest ones will eventually collapse.

Surely, bringing water back to a neighborhood without it is a good step. It's within our grasp to fund this project and make the water flow. The only barrier is potential contributors avoiding sending in their best possible direct donation, and from upvoting the 40 posts I've already made to build this project. Everything else is in place. Incredible things are set to occur once that bottleneck gets opened up!

Will you make the water flow, with us?

Much appreciation to those who upvoted last week:

Week 40

week 39 funds: 323.129 Steem

new funds:

• week 39 post payout = 0.2 SBD and 0.45 STEEM POWER = 0.9 Steem
• 0.25 Steem direct donation from @hempy
• you can send me Steem directly and your donation will be noted here

Total funds: 324.279 Steem

x 0.399 USD/Steem = $129.39 USD (of $1300)

Current progress: 10.0%

We're hanging on to the 10% progress point - barely!

When will the price of STEEM turn around? All we need is for it to reach $4 again, and we'll have more than we need to buy and install the pump! Bitcoin has already tripled in price since Christmas, and the rest of the market is rising fast, too. We're in the only boat that isn't rising! Hopefully that changes, soon. People's health may depend on it!

Edgar's family and neighborhood, who relied on the water from the aquifer under his land, continue to go without it. When the pump burned out, quite a few people had to start drinking questionable water, and/or walk long distances carrying containers of water bought or traded for nearby. Edgar was a professional man, and now picks wild fruit, and fishes in dangerous waters, to keep his family eating! They have waited for water long enough. Let's get this funded.

Upvoting this post is appreciated so much! 100% goes to the project.

Mission Agua-Possible will help many people, and inspire other great projects. It's a group success story, playing out on the Steem blockchain. Together, we're going to dramatically improve the lives of a whole neighborhood that really needs it!

DRutter