| The mission of the Water For People
Committee is to ensure safe drinking water, proper sanitation
and hygiene education to developing countries throughout
the world. The Water For People Committee is the local chapter
of Water For People
(WFP) . This is a joint Virginia committee (VA AWWA
& VWEA) that is affiliated with Water For People (WFP),
which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. There are many
WFP chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Virginia
committee members must be an active member in either VA
AWWA or VWEA. The Committee volunteers include utility directors,
engineers, operators, groundwater specialists, professors,
and others who are dedicated to the WFP mission. WFP committee
volunteers are eligible for the prestigious Kenneth
J. Miller Water For People Founders' Award for outstanding
service.
An important part of the committees' mission is fundraisers
for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education projects.
Each year, the committee holds its major fundraiser, the
Herb Evans Memorial Golf Classic. Herb served as a chair
of the WFP Committee and was a vital force in establishing
the committee in VA AWWA. The golf tournament is normally
held in the spring at one or more locations in the Commonwealth.
Individuals and businesses can participate in the tournament
and/or contribute as sponsors in support of WFP activities.
Here are some of the international projects that have been
supported by the WFP Committee, made possible through the
generous support of our donors and sponsors:
Vilomilla, Bolivia
The Committee raised over $35,000 for this small rural village
located in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. The Vilomilla
project is the largest WFP project to date and resulted
in a longstanding relationship between our partners in Bolivia
and the national WFP Program. The primary purpose of the
project was to provide a pressurized water system to serve
approximately 500 villagers. The WFP committee was instrumental
in both the design and construction of the system. In addition,
our constant contact with this Bolivian community has changed
their way of life. They have gone from using an irrigation
channel for washing food, watering livestock, and bathing
to having water taps with meters at their individual homes.
San Pedro, Bolivia
In December of 2006 the WFP Committee provided $8,010 to
support a sanitation project in San Pedro, a municipal capital,
located 105 kilometers form Montero, a provincial capital,
and 155 kilometers from the city of Santa Cruz. The average
daily income in San Pedro is approximately 30 Bolivianos
($3.75 U.S.). During the previous five years, there have
been no major water or sanitation improvements. The community
has water, but it is not “safe water,” as there
is no chlorination system. Household storage is not safe,
and families do not boil their water. Their sanitation conditions
are also inadequate, since few people have latrines or do
not use them properly. The lack of healthy hygiene habits
contributes to intestinal sicknesses. Fifty dry latrines
will be constructed. The dry latrines design isolates waste
and avoids subterraneous pollution and odors. This project
will benefit 320 people (50 households).
Chinda Region, Honduras
On behalf of the many contributors from the VA AWWA and
the VWEA, the Virginia Water For People Committee selected
the Chinda Region, Honduras as the 2007 sponsorship recipient.
A check in the amount of $5,246 was submitted for the following
objectives:
• Construct three gravity-fed water projects, one
expansion/rehabilitation project and 100 pour-flush latrines,
supported by systematic health and hygiene education.
• Strengthen the technical and administrative capacity
of Chinda’s communities through at least seven training
modules for at least 245 people on plumbing, operation and
maintenance, chlorination, water quality monitoring, and
legal issues relevant to water and sanitation.
• Formalize and sign a Memorandum of Understanding
with the local technical school that will help 12 students
from the field of Social Promotion develop their social
work skills by participating in the Hygiene Education Program
in the municipality for three months. Target additional
hygiene education to Chinda’s primary school teachers.
Provide all educational materials.
At only 43 square miles, the northwest municipality of Chinda
is the smallest in which Water For People – Honduras
will be working, and also one of the oldest. The area is
composed of thirteen rural communities totaling 3,069 inhabitants,
most of them Lencan Indians who farm for a living. Rugged
subsistence framing dominates their economy, but where they
can, the farmers of Chinda grow coffee and grains to sell
in regional markets. Development in the municipality has
been slow, partly because of limited infrastructure. Many
communities are only accessible via four-wheel drive vehicles
on roads that are often washed away during the rainy season.
While most communities have an accessible school, children
typically only attend until the fourth grade. With an average
per capita income of only $1,160 (US), Chinda is one of
the poorest and least developed areas of Santa Barbara.
Moreover, the economic and infrastructural effects of the
1998 hurricane “Mitch” are still felt in Chinda
as in the rest of Honduras. Honduras appears to have abundant
water, but the supply often becomes very scarce during the
dry season between February and May. Deforestation and fires
worsen the problem by degrading the watershed. Frequent
flooding and hurricanes make Chinda’s water and sanitation
infrastructure vulnerable to damage and collapse. Even where
there are systems in place, water supply is often intermittent
and inadequately disinfected. As a result, 50% of rural
Chindans are without access to a reliable source of safe
water. Latrine coverage in rural Chinda is now on the rise,
but still only reaches 45% of people. The Water For People
2007 budget for Chinda is US$139,195 for 3,033 beneficiaries.
All Water For People funds are leveraged with those of our
partner organizations for expanded impact and the assurance
of sustainability.
VAAWWA, VWEA members and fellow contributors should take
great pride in contributing to the health and welfare of
men, women and children in these areas.
|
