Project Partner Spotlight: Rony Meza

Native has a total of nine (and counting!) Hydraid® water filter projects located across the globe. These projects implement biosand water filtration technology to provide clean water to households who otherwise would have limited access or would be left to burn unsustainably harvested wood in order to purify water through boiling, a time-consuming process that can also eat up resources for families who are often resource-limited.  The projects reduce emissions from deforestation. 

Native has project partners all over the world who help install the water filters, hold meetings with local stakeholders, conduct trainings on the use of the filters, and monitor the installed filters every year to ensure they are properly cleaning the water, and that they are still in use and that filter users have a way to fix problems should they arise. 

One of our project partners, Rony Meza, manages two water projects in his home country of Honduras. He has proven to be an exceptionally hard-working and talented professional, and working with him has been a great privilege for Native. Here is a description of Rony, in his own words:

My name is Rony Everaldo Meza Sanchez, I was born in Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras on December 13, 1972. I studied Business Management and Industrial Engineering at the National Autonomous Honduras University where I also got a Master’s Degree in Finance.

From 1995 up to today, I have worked for more than 20 different organizations among them Pan American Life Insurance Company, World Bank, United Nations, International Aid, North Carolina University, Engineering World Health, Cascade Engineering, Triple Quest, ETA International, Trent University (Canada), Value Frontier (Japan), Duke University, Flood the Nations, Assist International, GE Foundation and Native, the majority of these organizations based in USA.

It wasn’t until I joined International Aid in 2006 that I got fully involved in the Hydraid Biosand Water Project. Ever since then, I have participated in the majority of all Hydraid evolution and development processes managed by International Aid, North Carolina University, Cascade Engineering and Triple Quest at a local level aimed to spread the word out about Hydraid and make it an option to be highly considered for either social or humanitarian assistance around the region. 

In 2016, I was privileged to join Native when it acquired Hydraid and led its efforts in Honduras to consolidate Hydraid by turning it into carbon projects, a new scope to make it financially and environmentally sustainable and convenient.  

Up to date, I have led several projects involving thousands of Hydraid Filters to benefit thousands of families all over the region, which has given me the opportunity to gain experience and build up very well consolidated relationships with end users, community leaders, technicians, managers, directors, ministers, donors, cooperants, etc. at different levels.       

Enabling people to have access to safe drinking water and contribute with environmental conservation at the same time, has become one of the most appreciated labors that I’ve been privileged to do.   

This year, even with the pandemic, Rony was able to conduct baseline testing for one of the projects and conduct annual monitoring while ensuring personal safety measures were followed. His hard work and dedication to the projects have proven invaluable. We are so grateful to have someone like Rony working so hard to ensure that these vital projects are successful.