Report: Water and Sanitation Projects in Camoapa, Nicaragua 2007

Construcción of an extension to a gravity flow project and 90 latrines in Barrio Pedro Joaquin Chamorro and La Reina and Peñas de Cáfe, in Camoapa, Nicaragua.

June/2007 update: The water system and latrines in Barrio Pedro Joaquin Chamorro are complete.

Update: Oct/07: The well in the school in La Reina came up dry, so we are substituting one of two wells in Peñas de Cáfe (sector Cafen Alto, the larger of the two sectors with 46 families - the Cafen Bajo sector has 5 families). The school at La Reina will try again to dig in the near future. The well at Peñas de Cáfe is complete. The latrines in the community of La Reina are also complete. We haven't got a photo yet, but will get one up within the next month or so.

Gravity flow water project beneficiaries pay monthly stipend in anticipation of system repairs. Well project beneficiaries pay for repairs as needed by community colection.

After project construction, water project communities are invited to participate in reforestation. Those who want to do so will develop seedling nurseries, transplant in the rainy season, and maintain the plantations under barbed wire fence and "no burn" protection for three years minimum. Reforestation project includes construction of fuel-saving, smoke-free stoves in the homes of reforestation participants (and eventually others). Community health educators will visit all projects after construction to teach hygience (handwashing e.g.) and encourage ongoing maintenance and repair of all projects, strengthen local committees, etc.

In order to measure the impact of our projects, we collect data several times a year from clinics serving rural districts where we have a high concentration of projects: number of visits due to diarrhea, etc. As the number decreases we feel that hygiene education has been effective.

For further information, please review our web site: http://www.elporvenir.org