Maryknoll Lay Missioners - Jason Obergfell

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Jason Obergfell

Year Joined MKLM: 2005
Country: Bolivia
City: Tapacari
Focus: Sustainable Development
Project(s): Drinking Water Systems to address
Environmental Contamination
People Served: More than 1000 families
Project Goal(s):

Help Bolivians acquire better access to
adequate quantities of safe drinking water.
Empower Bolivians to address serious
environmental contamination issues where
they live.
Build relationships of mutual accompaniment
that are constantly revealing the spirit of God.

Personal Data
Jason is originally from Lexington, Indiana and was active in St. Emily's Parish in Mount Prospect, Illinois for 11 years prior to joining MKLM. He is a registered professional civil engineer in the U.S..

Current Ministry
Jason Obergfell is an MKLM missioner living in the "Zona Sur" of Cochabamba, Bolivia. His barrio is primarily home to a mix of lower income Bolivians. Some homes are constructed of adobe and barely have doors. The roads are cobble-stone, and most people travel via bus. The homes typically have high walls surrounding them for security, and it would not be unusual to see a rat running across the top of one of those walls at night.

Jason currently spends the majority of his time working with Pastoral Social Caritas, which is a part of the Archdiocesan offices in Cochabamba. Caritas works on social projects such as educational seminars, emergency relief assistance, drinking water systems, and irrigation projects. He is currently living and working in the small rural town of Tapacarí, Bolivia, where he is managing the construction of a drinking water system for the community.

Tapacarí is home to 185 families and is located about 2 hours outside of Cochabamba. Access to the community is via a dirt/rock mountain road combined with a seasonal road in the rocky riverbed that passes by the community. The 2-inch diameter pipe that will serve the community begins 15 kilometers from the community, and its trenches were excavated completely by members of the community using picks and shovels.

Jason is also involved in projects to empower Bolivians, especially its youth. Jason assists with a summer camp organized in his barrio by fellow MKLM missioner Evan Cuthbert, as well as with a project empowering young Bolivians to address serious environmental issues where they live.

The youth empowerment project has helped young adults, typically between 15 and 30 years of age, address serious environmental issues like water contamination due to mining activities. The small groups meet individually to address the problems where they live, as well as collectively with the other small groups throughout Bolivia. Jason has provided technical assistance and small “starter fund” donations to these groups as their projects have evolved.