Donor: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), AquaFund, Japan Special Fund Poverty Reduction Program, Embassy of Japan in Colombia, GE Foundation, Alcaldía Guachené, Corona Organization, Siemens Foundation
Local Allies: Fundación Propal, Fundación ECSIM, Fundación Conhydra, Vialsa Ingenieros, CINARA
Beneficiaries: 96 families
Location: Guachené, Cauca
The consumption of contaminated water can result in health problems such as gastrointestinal diseases and parasites. This problem becomes more prominent in rural areas of Colombia. In Guachené, many families drink water that comes from the regional aqueduct or from wells located near human waste disposal sites. The municipality is one of the most important regions of the western part of country as it occupies a strategic economic, political, and social position for the development of the area. However, it is one of the regions with the highest concentration of poverty, unemployment, social conflict, and unsatisfied basic needs.
For this reason, Give To Colombia and Fundación PROPAL decided to launch an innovative model that allows access to drinking water and basic sanitation to these rural communities. Together, we designed and built basic sanitary infrastructure (toilet, shower, sink, multifunctional laundry and dishwasher), created a small cooperative of public services so as to maintain the infrastructure of drinking water, and implemented awareness campaigns on the importance of drinking clean water. The project has managed to help 96 families improve their living conditions.
This pilot was one of three components of the project, “Comprehensive Models of Access to Water and Sanitation” in which we set out to design and implement demand-driven and service-oriented pilot programs that would provide scalable and sustainable access to basic water supply and sanitation services in the poorest and most vulnerable areas of Colombia.
