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Since the beginning of the pandemic, most of the campaigns and emergency projects were focused on the distribution of protective and preventive equipment. One of the main measures disseminated was hand washing, but what about those schools and health centers that did not have access to safe water ? For this reason, in partnership with ONGAWA, we decided to design and implement a comprehensive emergency project, where the main focus of work was to ensure access to safe water and hand washing infrastructure, in addition to strengthening the capacities of the beneficiaries.
Before having drinking water in their school, the children had to collect water at home and then at school, since they did not have access to drinking water in either place. Access to drinking water in schools is important to maintain hygienic and sanitary conditions, so that children remain in a healthy environment.
“In my community the drinking water fails quite a lot, due to the water failure we have to walk 15 minutes to the river and bathing in the river affects the children because it gives them allergies and stomach aches” says Aura Méndez, from the community of Jucuapa Occidental, Matagalpa. We want to show you how access to clean water changes the lives of hundreds of people.
“Life we are looking for” – Gilmer Rodríguez, Kitriz Community. It is incredible to observe how the communities manage to access water, many times they have to walk long distances to unsafe sources that do not have any type of treatment, but, this same need is what makes the communities make a community effort to be able to drink safe drinking water.
With the creation of the Technical School of Drinking Water and Sanitation (ETAP), since 1996, we have promoted the development of capacities in rural areas, through the training of rural hydraulic technicians, capable of designing and implementing projects that contribute to the development of their municipalities, communities and strengthen the Water and Sanitation sector at a national level.
The need for drinking water in the communities makes their inhabitants organize themselves to contact us, since we do not take projects to the communities, we simply support organized communities that approach us and are willing to work on the implementation of comprehensive projects, conceived and executed with the active participation of the community in all phases. In addition to being willing to collaborate with local authorities, donors and partners. On this occasion we would like to share with you one of the most successful projects we have had.
Long-term alliances with national and international actors have allowed us to achieve our objectives with a greater impact on the communities. We have been able to obtain resources and exchange experiences, which have helped us to guarantee the sustainability of our projects. The main alliance we make is with the beneficiary communities, since they have to initiate and lead the entire process, in addition to making monetary and in-kind contributions. We also encourage local governments to be part of this process by accompanying and supporting all phases of the project.
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“Alone we can do little, together we can do a lot”