Funds Needed Phase I (complete): Rainwater Harvesting System built in August 2009. Phase II: $20,000 is needed for distribution system improvements Background The indigenous village of Simajuleu is tucked into the mountains 3 hours Northwest of Guatemala City.  The trip from the capital begins on the Pan-American highway, and ends on a dirt roadway that is often closed due to landslides. This remoteness isolates this indigenous society both culturally and technologically. In January, 2007, the Minnesota Chapters of EWB completed a pump installation for a nearby school in cooperation with Guatemalan-based NGO Chuwi Tinamit and US based Long Way Home. In July 2007, these NGOs invited EWB back to help provide water to Simajuleu. Contact Derrick Passe (derrick@ewb-mn.org)

The Need

Suffering from a chronic lack of water, the Village of Simajuleu invested in an engineering plan to pipe water from a spring 6 miles away to provide water to the Village.  At their request, EWB undertook an assessment trip in January 2008 to determine the feasibility of this water supply plan. What we found was an existing supply system that has been ingeniously designed that supplied water to Village at an rate of 15 gallons per person per day.  In our discussions with the members of the Village, it became obvious that this water was not being distributed equally to the people of the Village.

Our Response

Assessment:

In July, 2008, EWB Minnesota undertook a survey of the entire village to determine the water quality and reliability.  Six EWB members worked with 14 Long Way Home Volunteers and 21 Simajuleu guides/translators to survey 466 out of 488 households (representing 2360 people).  The survey was prepared in English and Spanish and covered topics related to water, sanitation, education, solid waste disposal and air quality.  When asked what one change they would like to make to improve their lives, 80% responded that they would choose better or more reliable water.

What we did:

Worked with the Student Chapter to install a Rainwater Harvesting System, at the Village’s School, to supply the water requirements for 300 students.

• Tested water from each spring and throughout the Village.
• Recorded GPS locations of each household.
• Took photos of each home and their cooking, cleaning and sanitary facilities.
• Measured water pressure in Distribution system.

Following up:

• On going analysis of Distribution System and Water Usage Characteristics.

Moving Forward:

• Analyze the existing water distribution to determine alterations for improvement.
• Prioritize system improvements to maximize resources.