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Making a Difference in Bolivia, Part One: Leon McLaughlin |
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Written by Colleen Coughlin
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Monday, 26 January 2009 |
Colleen is a staff member at the Mission Office. She is the Website Editor and the Coordinator for the Holy Childhood Association.
 I’m not much of a news person – I don’t read the paper, I don’t listen to NPR, and I often don’t pay attention to many of the news programs on TV. I’ve always wished that I could be one of those citizens who are consistently up-to-date with current events – and one step further – actually be able to retain all of that knowledge. But every once in awhile, the news does catch my eye. It’s often because of a story on A) helping others, or B) a third-world country. So, on January 9th, I was delighted to come across a story about both. As soon as I heard the word “Bolivia” on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, I knew that this would be one news story I wanted to watch. The story, part of the Nightly News’ “Making a Difference” series, was about a man named Leon McLaughlin, a Seattle businessman and shoe-shiner. Mr. McLaughlin’s story began when he was on vacation in Mexico. A local woman told him how she had an American visitor in her home that had asked to use her restroom. When he came out, he told her that he had drained her bathtub full of water, thinking that he had done her a favor. The woman broke down in tears, explaining that the tub full of water was her only water supply for the entire month. Mr. McLaughlin was touched by this woman’s story, and decided to do something about it. He created a foundation to help bring water purification systems and equipment to people in developing countries. As the segment explained, his upcoming journey would be to Bolivia. And my, what a journey it would be!
 Mr. McLaughlin, along with a humanitarian non-profit organization that he was working with, had made arrangements to place six water purification systems in a poverty-stricken area near Trinidad, Bolivia. When he arrived in the town of Trinidad in December 2008, he was greeted with hugs and kisses from the people. Their gratitude was overwhelming, as they came face-to-face with this hero who had given them the ability to have clean water. These water purification systems would change their lives forever. Mr. McLaughlin had given these people hope for the first time in their lives – and all he did was bring them clean water.
On the surface, that might be all it looks like – water. But, this simple, everyday thing that many of us take for granted is a godsend to millions of people around the world. It is estimated that 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water. Women and children walk approximately 4 hours each day to fetch water that isn’t even clean. People contract preventable water-related diseases, such as cholera, worms, and trachoma – diseases that kill one child every 15 seconds. That’s 10,000 children dying each day! You might say that these horribly awful things – microbes, dirty water, disease, and even death – are the outcomes of what has become a global water crisis. But what is the cause? What is to blame? For many poor countries, including Bolivia, global warming is the culprit. Regarding Latin America (where Bolivia is located), the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that rising temperatures could melt most of Latin America’s glaciers by 2022, thus diminishing its glacial water supply. This, in combination with poor water systems, can eventually cause severe water shortages, thus leading to political and civil unrest. That is a whole other piece to the puzzle. What ordinary person would ever connect global warming to water supply to political and civil unrest, off the top of their heads? Furthermore (regarding Latin America), according to Edson Ramirez, a hydrologist at San Andres University in La Paz, Bolivia: “There's no doubt we're facing a crisis…And what's worse, we simply don't have the capacity to deal with it…From 2009 onward, demand for water in El Alto (Bolivia) will be progressively greater than supply.” The whole concept is a scary thought, for the people of Bolivia, Latin America, AND for the rest of the world! How can this problem be solved? What can we do?
Fortunately, there are people out there, such as Mr. McLaughlin, who have recognized the problem and want to do something about it. To many of us, these crises in the world are just another news headline. But, it takes a very special and courageous kind of person to read those headlines, and physically take action. Bolivia in particular is close to my heart, and I was thrilled to see someone like Mr. McLaughlin doing something to help solve the problem and give back to these poor people in the world. The story inspired me (and hopefully many others), and showed me that one everyday person CAN truly make a difference in the world.
An abandoned alpine lodge is all that remains of Bolivia's renowned Chacaltaya ski resort, the world's highest at 17,388 feet above sea level. Today, the expansive 150-foot thick glacier, which once attracted thousands of tourists, has been reduced to a lone patch of ice about 9-feet deep, visited only by gawkers and concerned scientists. Throughout the Andean mountain range, high altitude glaciers are melting faster, altering eco-systems, and turning countries such as Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia into test cases for climate change. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that rising temperatures could melt most of Latin America's glaciers by 2022. And as temperatures rise, some experts predict the disappearing glaciers will create water shortages and social unrest. Edson Ramirez, a hydrologist at San Andres University in La Paz, predicts the Tuni-Condoriri glacier system - which includes Chacaltaya - will be gone within 20 to 30 years.
Mr. McLaughlin, along with a humanitarian non-profit organization that he was working with, had made arrangements to place six water purification systems in a poverty-stricken area near Trinidad, Bolivia.
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