All right, welcome to the Ocean Water Podcast. I'm here with my great friend today, Sumpapo. That's what we all call him. His name's actually Cesar. Yeah. And I wanted, yeah, yeah brother. I wanted you guys to get a chance to know him. He's our good friend. And Sumpapo, why don't you just tell us a little bit about yourself, how long you've been in Palmarcita, and just tell us a little bit about yourself. Yeah. Hi everybody.
Well, I know Ryan like five years ago when the police came to here to put on the project from the water system. And then I live, well, I have 32, 33 years now, but I live all my life here. So I'm at a local from Palmarcita all the time. My dad and my mom is live here all the life. So I'm at the second generation from my mom. And then I help learn the community here, working on the project from the water, you know. And yeah. Great brother.
Why don't you tell everyone what the water situation is like where you live? Yeah. Well, it had the one well here when it's like a broil from a time. It's like you had to pay from that water. But now it's not really constant because like the well is not had too much water. So that's like really bad situation because now all the family had the water. So it's really hard going to take and that's why. So that's like the project for Ryan is come together.
The community here because like the water is in the front, you take it from the beach, you know, it's like a new generation water for like all the community because a lot of people is needed that water here because it's not too much water. Yeah. And can you can you explain to to everyone what what the food situation is like there right now and how your family you and your family have been helping to feed people during this time of lockdown in El Salvador?
Yeah. Yeah. Like well, like the really bad situation is right now because like the older government is putting like too much restriction, you know, and then you have a lot of families here, you know, have like too much food, you know, like so that's like the community is held a little bit to bring not too much food, but I bring a little bit to the house for that's almost 25 families.
Okay, it's not I know that's families not really is not have really good position, you know, here is like family can not have too much money. Only one guy from the family is working now the situation because every you can have you can go somewhere else. So you have to stay all the time in the house. So that's why I'm really, you know, have nothing for going to buy supplies, you know, like beans, like rice.
So that's like the community is trying to have a dance families all the time because the food is going to be more more more more expensive and more hard to take it because like only one people from one families can go to buy all the supplies to la libertad. It's a small town here when you can go to buy beans, rice and everything over there.
But only one people represent one families can go to do in that because everybody had to stay in the house, you know, like have two months now is really bad situation here.
Yeah, and I want people to to meet you and to hear from you because when ocean water when we talk about helping indigenous peoples with their water rights, what we mean is friends like you and your family who are working people in an area of the country where there is not public infrastructure the way that we have it in the United States.
So for those of you who are listening when my friend Simpapa says that there's one well, this well is located at a hotel which is about a quarter of a mile from the main road where most of the people in in Palmercito live and so Papa just so everyone understands about how many people live in Palmercito. It's like 38 families. Some families. Yeah, some families is like a little bit big one is some families like a little bit small one but I think it's like three handy fixing people.
That's including like kids and everyone that's the only like community from the beach, you know, only in Palmercito. Yeah, that's just that's just on the that's just on the ocean side of the road. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So what so what we've done over the last five years is tried to come up with ways to help with that water situation and this is an ongoing project and now we're really working on the next layer of this about how to distribute water better.
And we still have some technical issues getting the well filled with water from the ocean. But so much of this has been because of our relationship over the last five years and enjoying going surfing together and getting to know each other and Paco and Tessie are both of our great friends have actually been to our home in San Clemente twice. And I know that Adam and Julie Watts and and myself, Adam and Julie Watts have now invited you to their home in San Clemente.
And we're hoping that you can you can come and be with us soon as soon as these travel restrictions get lifted. But so much of what has happened has come out of out of relationship, out of surfing together and you know, we're just thankful for for you, brother. And I just am honored that we get to be your friend and help help in a genuine way. So yeah, so you're a wonderful guy and a wonderful person there in the community.
And are there any ways that that we can help right now with the water and the food situation while COVID-19 is happening? Yeah, that's like coming really hard right now because you have like the second level. So it's coming like the other level, you know, so it's going to be more difficult to take the food to the water on the stuff. So it's going to be more hard right now. So I thank you guys for you have the community all the time. I really appreciate that you guys have the amazing heart.
And then you help all the time the community. The community is loving you guys. It's loving. Well, you guys. Well, we love you guys. Plus, you're plus you're so much fun to surf with. So it's great getting in the water with you. And yeah, we're just honored to just to help in any way that we can. If anybody wants to to give towards helping with food, that's something that you can do it at Oceanwater.com.
And if you'll just make a little note, food or water for Palmar Cedar, we'll earmark that and our advisory team will make sure those funds get to get to some Papa and his family so that they can serve.
There's a video on our website that we just posted some Papa and his family on Monday this week, two days ago, made two hundred and sixteen handmade tamales and hand delivered those to low income people that those thirty eight families, they went and distributed those tamales to those to those people. So what's what's what's inspiring about what's inspiring about you is that you are literally feeding and helping get water to all thirty eight of those families right now. OK, nice.
I feel like come to you know, like what is probably it is like the more hard here because you know, like it's really hard to take like fresh water for drinking. It's like the back situation for like the community. You guys have a lot to make and do and more. Also talk a little bit about about what you want to start doing on on Monday nights at your home after the the restrictions get lifted where you can meet again. Do you want to tell them about how you're you're planning to have some of those?
Oh, yeah. Tell them about. Well, I that's a small project because I never doing something like that. And then Ryan, the pastor and the other pastor is doing you can do and you can do it. It's push me to do and I say, OK, let's do it. And that's my other project to help like all the guys get served by me together all the time, you know, to my house, to to raining a little bit by the body.
You know, like it's more roomy and by the all the all the people from here, you know, you need to talk to them a little bit from the top. So from everything. So that's like the project is coming when it's finished. Everything here. I had a little bit scared to do it. I tried. I going to do it. Yeah, that's that's how we all feel.
So just to provide some context for everybody, here's our friend who we've gotten to know over the last five years through through surfing and genuine friendship, who is now in this moment helping provide all the water and all the food for all 38 families in Palmar Ceto. And when their restrictions are lifted, are going to have him over to his home on on Monday nights for food and some time in God's word together.
And you have no idea just just how inspiring that is to me and that you that you don't have to be a professional. You don't have to call yourself anything. You can just go and go love the community. You can go and have people over to your home and have food and study God's word and be yourself and allow God to use to use all that. And that's a beautiful thing. And we're honored to be your friend. Thank you.
I'm a really, really feel like when you call me a man because I feel like that you guys is from my family too. It's like that's for that five years I know you guys you guys like a family from the city now. But my citrus your second home from everybody. Thank you. Well, we might I know myself and a lot of the guys that have been going down there feel that way. And also, San Clemente and you come and you can be in our home. And so we can't we can't wait to have you there.
We can't wait to have you here with us and and I'd like to I'd like to call you again in a few weeks. I think it's very, very important for people that are going to hear this to keep hearing from you brother. And we love you. And we just we're just inspired by everything you and your family are doing. So thank you for your time, man. Do you have anything else you want to say? Yeah, thank you for calling all the time. God bless you guys. God bless you brother. We love you and thank you so much.
Thank you. See you now. I'm so far away.