AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP — Cotton hammocks, bursting with color and hand-woven by a family in El Salvador, help bring water and education to the struggling country.
The sale of the hammocks benefit the AWE Foundation. AWE stands for Action for Water and Education. The foundation has already succeeded in bringing running water to El Progreso, a small village in El Salvador, and has two other water projects underway, said Donna Polak, director of the hammock program.
The AWE Foundation is just one of several vendors featured at the International Fair this weekend at Austinburg Town Hall.
The foundation began in 2000 by Dan Pappalardo of Youngstown. Pappalardo lived in El Salvador for six years and recognized the many needs of the people in developing countries. The organization began selling the hammocks a few years ago to begin its first water project, Polak said.
More than 1,200 people in El Progreso have running water now. Polak helped a lot with the water project. She traveled to El Salvador once a year between 2002 and 2006. While overseas, she also taught English to villagers and work with children.
“It was neat to be there when they actually got the running water,” she said. “Some people have no idea what it’s like (in El Salvador).”
Polak said there was running water in the city, but it was rationed for part of the day. Up in the mountains, it is very rare to have running water. Villagers travel to various water sources to get water, but the water is contaminated and leads to health problems, she said.
“There is a major need (for water),” Polak said.
A holding tank with a volume of 15,000 gallons and a distribution tank of equal size were built. The two tanks are connected by four inch steel pipe through which water is pumped approximately two miles up the mountain from the spring, gaining approximately 400 feet in elevation. From the distribution tank water flows approximately six miles by gravity through PVC pipes to the villagers' homes, according to www.awefoundation.org.
All the trenches for the PVC pipe were dug by hand by the villagers themselves, who each put in 40 days of volunteer labor as well as contributed $100 for their water rights. Families who were unable to afford 100 percent of their water rights were offered jobs within the village, such as assistance with school construction, to receive payment in the form of AWE Foundation credit. Any villager willing to work was allowed the opportunity to participate in the project, regardless of their economic capabilities, according to the Web site.
Over the years the foundation has raised more than $200,000 for the betterment of the country. The foundation offers a scholarship to students each year as well.
The International Fair, in its ninth year, after a hiatus in the 1980s, supports developing countries like El Salvador. This year, 33 countries, including the U.S., are represented at the fair, said Molly Linehan, coordinator. Items at the fair are handcrafted by artisans in the 33 countries.
New to the fair this year are items from Honduras, Linehan said. The items, including hand-crafted dolls, loofa sponges and cutting boards, were made by mentally handicapped adults, she said.
The fair will continue today from noon to 3 p.m. All proceeds benefit artisans, farmers and craftsmen in poor nations.
Local News
INTERNATIONAL FAIR, REPRESENTING 33 COUNTRIES
Artisans sell their wares to benefit developing countries
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