Location
Sector Laguna, Chiclin, La Libertad, Peru
Community Description
Sector Laguna is a marginalized sector consisting of around 65 families on the outskirts of the coastal town of Chiclin, La Libertad, Peru (pop. 7,000).
As a former invasion community that arrived from the sierra of La Libertad in the 1970s, the community has been continually neglected and is the Sector Laguna Water and Sanitation Project – Peru only sector of town with no paved streets, street lighting or trash collection.
Furthermore, many residents are too poor to afford to connect to the local water system and are forced to walk out to the nearby sugar cane fields to relieve themselves, where trash is discarded in the irrigation canal as well.
The sector was considered a “red zone” during the recent Bubonic Plague outbreak of 2010 due to the high presence of rats and the general poor health of the community. Other common health problems include a high presence of tuberculosis, diarrhea, nausea and bacterial skin ailments.
Many residents of Chiclin believe that much of the town’s sickness originates from this sector. It is located adjacent to the elementary school and many children pass through there while walking to and from school.
Project Description
This project is to bring water to, and install working latrines and/or toilets in, 20 homes in the community.
The homes of the participating families will be connected to the sewage system that runs down the main street via 3-inch plastic tubes. Some of the new bathrooms will be indoors and some outdoors. For the outdoor bathrooms a small structure will be built to provide privacy and cleanliness.
Sector Laguna Water and Sanitation Project – PeruThe project is a part of a larger program entitled “Improvement of the Health and Quality of Life: Sector Laguna” to improve household sanitation and hygiene practices, under the direction of the Municipalities of Chiclin and Chicama.
Project funds will be used for the purchase and transportation of the 3-in. tubes, elbow tubes, toilets, concrete, wood, and other materials.
The construction of the trenches needed to make the connections, and the bathrooms themselves, will be done by the community members and a few Peace Corps volunteers. They will also pay 5 local carpenters to oversee the project.
The installation of the latrines follows an extensive initial phase consisting of community information and training sessions held bi-weekly for many months. It will be followed by home visits to monitor progress.
The program also includes a trash/recycling management component, formed by participating families to clean up the neighborhood and implement a recycling campaign.
Project Impact
89 people will benefit from the project, including 22 adult males, 22 adult females 24 boys, and 21 girls.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Travis Martin
Comments
By bringing water to their homes and installing bathrooms, the health of the participating families will be greatly improved.
This is a very ambitious coordinated effort to implement a comprehensive public health program. It has tremendous support from the community and the municipalities. Thus, its success and sustainability are ensured.
Dollar Amount of Project
$479.00
Donations Collected to Date
$479.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of Hack & Slash, who have designated Water Charity as a beneficiary of this year’s Hack and Slash Christmas Special 2011 held in Baltimore, MD.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the PCV of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund future projects in the country of service.
This project has been completed. To see the results, CLICK HERE.