Programs - Clean Water Team
Current Water Projects
A Clean Water Project is Not a Gift
As with all of our programs, with respect to our focus on sustainability, Clean Water Team projects are constructed in carefully chosen communities. These initial steps to choosing where our next water project will be built depends on the preparedness and willingness of the community members. Rather than build a water project and walk away, SELF creates long-term partnerships with communities that are ready to work. At the core of this partnership is the community’s understanding that water projects are not a gift, but rather a team effort; with SELF as a resource, ownership of long-term financial and physical maintenance of the water project is the responsibility of the community. All 3 current water projects include sanitation education in the ESCASAL method (Healthy House and School), in-house water meters, as well as legal support for the local Water Council. Hygiene stations for all 3 projects, including toilets, drinking fountains and a handwashing area will be constructed at the local schools.
Pacayas
Part of the municipality of Cantarranas, Pacayas is a hidden village in the hills, located about 60 kilometers from the SELF office in rural Honduras. Our current water project in Pacayas will benefit 63 families. This project includes construction of a very long conduction line of pipes (6 km) from the water source to their current water tank, which remains in good repair, as well construction of the new distribution channel box. The new distribution channel box benefits not only Pacayas, but also other nearby communities, as it helps divide water for each of the communities from the source.
El Bosque
Also part of the municipality of Cantarranas, neighbor village to Pacayas, El Bosque or “the Forest” is also a small, beautiful village in the mountains. El Bosque has 45 families as beneficiaries for their water project. Construction of a 5,000 gallon tank is the largest part of the project, as well as the small dam at the water source, and a conduction line from the dam to the new tank. The new tank is located just above the old tank, so we are able to use the current distribution line to the houses, which is in good condition.
Villa Nueva
Located along a major roadway between Tegucigalpa and Danlí, Villa Nueva is part of the municipality of Morocelí. Villa Nueva is a small village, with many women in lead community positions. Villa Nueva contains 45 families, and they are as loud and excitable as they are passionate and welcoming. Despite being located in plain sight, oftentimes, when SELF initiated work in Villa Nueva, we would hear that they saw themselves as “the forgotten village”. Villa Nueva is the biggest of all 3 current water projects, as they have never had a clean water system in place. When SELF arrived, villagers were hand carrying buckets of contaminated water for cooking and cleaning, from wells to their homes, as often as 10 times a day. The large water project at Villa Nueva includes many aspects: drilling of a new well and installation of its pump with its conduction line and housing, construction of a new 10,000 gallon water tank, as well as construction of a distribution line between the tank and all of the houses of the village.
Global Grant #1982209 Partnership with Rotary International
All three of the above projects are part of a global grant through Rotary International, involving dozens of international partners. In addition to SELF, local municipalities, World Vision, SANAA and the communities themselves, more than a dozen Rotary Clubs have committed support to help see these clean water dreams into a reality. Rotary Club Danlí as the lead local host partner, as well as Rotary Club Roseville as the lead international partner, put hundreds of hours of work into the administration of Global Grant #1982209. These projects are a model of the strength of alliances, and they would not have been possible without the partnership and support from Rotary. On behalf of our communities looking forward to clean water, we are eternally grateful.
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