Tumtum Tara (meaning “Big Flower” in Miskito) was the first village to receive clean drinking water through the Board of World Mission’s Blessings Flow project, which provides household water filters through a partnership with One Atta Time. Click here to learn more and donate to the Blessings Flow Project.
Tumtum Tara (along with the communities of Dakura Tara and Tabila) is situated in an area of La Moskitia known as Laka. That region, often referred to as the poorest of the Mískito homeland, lies generally to the east and south of the Departmental capital and “county seat” of Puerto Lempira. Both Tumtum Tara and the neighboring communities are characterized by lack of employment, absence of government services, limited access to potable water and poor conditions for agriculture. Laka residents employ traditional Mískito agricultural practices, but they often travel several hours to work their plots of beans, rice, yucca, etc. Local families obtain their water from shallow wells and/or the nearby rivers where they also bathe and wash clothes. A total of 208 filters were distributed in two separate visits to the community in 2023.
During the pre-intervention clinic, 100% of families in Tumtum Tara reported that someone in their household had experienced diarrhea in the previous two weeks due to waterborne illness, 40% of families had experienced other symptoms like headache or fatigue, and 20% of families reported that someone in their household had missed school or work due to their symptoms in the previous two weeks.
