We are very excited to announce that the research phase of the water project is complete and we are moving forward on bringing water 24/7 to our community. It has taken a long time to complete all the pump tests and the topographical survey, but we are finally ready to start digging. Volunteer work crews from the community will begin the last week of October.
Last week, the tubes were purchased and unloaded on our property, and the well company came and cleaned the current well. Soon, we'll be breaking ground on a brand new well to add additional water into the system. MANY meetings were held to try to communicate clearly to the community what their part will be and to organize the work crews to dig the trench. Each house is responsible to dig the trench in front of their own property, but there is a large amount of unpopulated property that must be connected to the well too. For this reason teams from all the communities will work together to dig the trench for the main line.
SuNica has a water team (of all Nicaraguans) that is managing this project and we are aiding them in any way that we can. It is important that Nicaraguans are running the meetings and explaining how we are working together with those who have fundraised to bring water to the community. With your help, SuNica and Water & Light together were able to raise $170,000 for this project. We are asking the households in our community to each give $30 over the next year as their part to hook up to the new system. It doesn't sound like much, but that is a huge figure for them. For many, it is half their income for the month. We are working to educate the community on the value of running water and the impact it will have to their health, their time, and future generations. Research shows that projects that partner with the community are more successful in empowering the individuals to care for that project after it is completed. Why? Because they have ownership, it was not a hand out. We are so excited to see the beauty that comes from people using the time they used to used to spend waiting for and gathering water for something new. Maybe this open up the time they need to start a tortilla making business, fix motorcycles, make art, play with a child, dream, or just relax.