[Mission: Agua-Possible] is in TROUBLE

I'm DRutter, and you're reading the 58^th weekly post for Mission: Agua-Possible, which 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 have intensified in 2019, as president Maduro doubled down on his currency manipulation, price-fixing, propaganda, 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, 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 - 6 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. The US is blockading the country with their navy from the sea, "eager to help" (hungry to invade). Stability for the people appears out of reach.

Edgar

In mid-2018 I found @edgargonzalez, the blog of Edgar, 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 Junior went off to preschool last week, because Edgar is busy full-time trying to grow food or catch fish. )

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! (The first post was here. I published a special video edition in week 43 here.) Once we gather 1300 USD worth of Steem, I'll transfer it to Edgar, to be converted to cash to buy the pump.

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

Major backsliding this week

STEEM's continued loss of purchasing power is making it very hard for our project to advance. Our holdings fell several percent, far more than what we brought in, which is the ongoing pattern for the entire length of the project.

For a while, it has felt like the project may have been named too-optimistically :( Currently, unless something changes, it doesn't appear like we'll gain sufficient momentum to overcome the constant loss of purchasing power. If we had been saving in Bitcoin (something suggested half way through - too late to change), this would have been over long ago. Similarly for the US Dollar. Anything but STEEM. I'm not being rude, just being factual.

Will you make the water flow, with us?

Much appreciation to those who upvoted last week:

Week 58

week 57 funds: 1764.33 Steem

new funds:

• week 57 post payout = 1.386 STEEM and 1.386 SP = 2.772 Steem
• you can send me Steem directly and your donation will be noted here

Total funds: 1767.102 Steem

x 0.131 USD/Steem = $231.49 USD (of $1300)

Current progress: 17.8%

Like I said last week, this isn't about lack of support. There have been hundreds of upvoters, and several ardent [MAP] supporters, a few right from the start, who have upvoted and resteemed and support-posted, and a couple who have generously donated good sums of currency.

Unfortunately, we're not outpacing the market decline for STEEM. Until something changes, it feels foolish to ask for donations, or even upvotes. In effect, it feels like we should go into dormant mode until the market improves (or something miraculous happens like somebody gives us a grand).

Or we could discuss having a period for people who have sent direct donations to request their donation be returned. I'd be okay with doing that, since if we go that route, the original plan will be cancelled. And once that's completed, whatever I have left (primarily from upvotes) could be turned over to Edgar to provide some temporary relief, or whatever we decide as a group.

For now, I'd like to hear ideas. I'll keep these posts going, as usual, and anything I receive will 100% go toward the project, as usual. But as my own health isn't very good at the moment, and I have a newborn (a miracle baby that surprised us by being possible), I'm afraid that if reality dictates that 'Impossible' isn't possible, I have to search for a way to finish it up soon. It has been at last a year longer than originally anticipated. I'm really sorry to Edgar that it has taken so long, and that it might not even be possible, at least for now.

Como dije la semana pasada, no se trata de falta de apoyo. Ha habido cientos de votantes, y varios fervientes partidarios del [MAP], algunos desde el principio, que han votado y estimado y puesto en apoyo, y una pareja que ha donado generosamente buenas sumas de moneda.

Desafortunadamente, no estamos superando la caída del mercado para STEEM. Hasta que algo cambie, se siente tonto pedir donaciones, o incluso votos a favor. En efecto, parece que deberíamos entrar en modo inactivo hasta que el mercado mejore (o algo milagroso sucede como si alguien nos da un gran).

O podríamos discutir tener un período para que las personas que han enviado donaciones directas soliciten que se devuelva su donación. Estaría bien hacer eso, ya que si seguimos esa ruta, el plan original será cancelado. Y una vez que eso se haya completado, todo lo que me queda (principalmente de votos arriba) podría ser entregado a Edgar para proporcionar un alivio temporal, o lo que decidamos como grupo.

Por ahora, me gustaría escuchar ideas. Mantendré estos puestos en marcha, como siempre, y cualquier cosa que reciba se destinará al 100% hacia el proyecto, como siempre. Pero como mi propia salud no es muy buena en este momento, y tengo un recién nacido (un bebé milagroso que nos sorprendió por ser posible), me temo que si la realidad dicta que 'Imposible' no es posible, tengo que buscar una manera de terminarlo pronto. Ha sido por fin un año más de lo previsto originalmente. Siento mucho a Edgar que haya tomado tanto tiempo, y que ni siquiera sea posible, al menos por ahora.

Comments greatly appreciated. Thank you everybody.

DRutter