Conclusion of La Penda Water Filter Project – Dominican Republic

This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Bob Tuttle. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.

The project was designed to provide 28 water filters for families in the community without access to safe water.

Bob reports:

Scope of the project
This project provided 93 water filters (23 paid for via funds from Water Charity) for families in over 10 communities that lacked access to safe drinking water.

How the work progressed
The project was implemented under the direction of the La Penda Neighborhood Association’s Health Committee. Filters were purchased through Filter Pure (dba Agua Pure), a non-profit organization that through their distribution of filters supports local economies and improves the health of communities.

Participating families attended three health-related presentations organized by the Health Committee. Upon receipt of the filters, families attend an educational workshop which included instructions on the simple usage and maintenance of the filter. This workshop was facilitated by the Executive Director of Filter Pure.

In addition to the survey conducted prior to the project, which was designed to determine the need for filters in the community, the Health Committee also conducted in-home follow-up visits with a sampling of families to ensure that maintenance of the filters was being completed according to schedule.

End result
The project was a major success not only for its ability to provide the majority of homes in La Penda with safe drinking water but also as a model for how community projects can be implemented. From project planning to implementation to the inauguration event, members of the neighborhood association learned valuable skills and positively impacted the quality of life for their neighbors.

We are grateful to Bob for completing this ambitious project. We again extend our thanks to the Elmo Foundation and to Bob’s friends and family for providing the funds for the participation by Water Charity in this project.