The glamorous side of volunteering with EWB is being able to travel and work alongside the communities we serve. However, most of the work occurs while the team is back at home. The whole EWB project process includes engineering design, project management, maintenance manuals, fundraising, research, alternatives analyses, community outreach & communication, education programs, PMEL, report writing, remote work, and more. With our inability to be in-country all the time we lean on our project partners (the community and local organizations). Recently, the community of Chuchurras completed some remote work (tap stand covers, water testing, and project planning) to continue building on the project's success. We are also already seeing the positive impacts that reliable access to clean drinking water has for people around the world! In a powerful letter provided by community leadership (the water board, JASS) they discuss how the local health post is reporting a decrease in waterborne diseases. The following is a translated quote from the community’s letter (included below):
“Thanks to this project we have purified water, the health post reports a decrease in diseases such as eda, colic, parasites, and other diseases. It is worth mentioning that in these months it was a blessing to have water. Hoping to meet you soon. [This project] is very important for us to improve the quality of life and health of our community members. Waiting for your soon visit and we are very grateful to continue with the work this year 2024.”
These profound impacts on people’s lives are what drive us at EWB to help build a better world.
The Chuchurras project team is currently working towards designing the distribution network, water treatment system, permanent water storage, pump controls, PMEL, and O&M. If you’re interested in volunteering reach out to Chris Larson at larsonchris@stanleygroup.com. You can read about our 2023 implementation trip to Peru in the blog posts below! If you would like to support the project, donations can be made below.
