Water Charity is being considered as the charity to be featured at the Americas Deals of the Year 2013 Awards Dinner to be held March 13, 2014 in Cipriani, New York.
Water Charity has prepared a program for the occasion entitled Project Finance Americas Water Program to address the need for clean water and effective sanitation in Latin America.
The program consists of five subprograms designed to cover distinct geographical areas and focus in on specific technologies. Each subprogram and component program consists of a number of individual projects that are distinct, scalable, and lend themselves to replication. As such, they are amenable to funding and implementation individually or in tandem.
Four of the subprograms and their component programs are country-specific, and are being implemented in areas where Water Charity has vast experience and ongoing projects. The fifth can be implemented worldwide in the country of the donor’s choice. All will be started immediately and finished very quickly.
The subprograms are:
- Water and Sanitation Program – Guatemala
- Itiuba Water Storage and Rainwater Catchment System Program – Brazil
- Water and Sanitation Program – Dominican Republic
- Filters for Life Program – Worldwide
- Water and Sanitation Program – Peru
Water Charity is a 501(c)(3) California-based nonprofit corporation that has implemented 1,300 water and sanitation projects in 60 countries in the past 5 years.
Water and Sanitation Program – Guatemala
This subprogram has two component programs.
Garbage Dump Water Filter Program – Guatemala
Program Cost
Total program cost $12,000, consisting of 150 ceramic water filters of various sizes at an average of $80 each.
Geographic Area
This project will be implemented in the neighborhood of the Guatemala City Garbage Dump.
Timetable
The project will be implemented at once and completed in 4 months, with subsequent training and evaluation of compliance and effectiveness.
Program Description
This program will provide ceramic water filters for the participants in the Adult Literacy Program conducted by Safe Passage, a Guatemala-based NGO.
The target population is the families of workers who sort through garbage at the dump in Guatemala City. They live in makeshift houses near the dump, and are forced to drink contaminated water delivered by the city to taps in their community.
The use of ceramic filters is an effective and proven technology to remove contaminants such as metals, bacteria, viruses and parasites from the drinking water. Prior projects have proven the reduction in illness in participating families.
The ceramic filters will be manufactured locally, producing the added benefit of jobs and business stimulation.
Typical Projects
Water Charity has implemented two successful iterations of this model in this community:
Filter Project for Garbage
Dump Workers of Guatemala
Guatemala City Garbage Dump
Water Filters Project – Part 2
High-Impact Water and Sanitation Program – Guatemala
Program Cost
The total program cost is $12,000, consisting of 12 projects at $1,000 each.
Geographic Area
Small projects will be implemented all over Guatemala.
Timetable
Projects will be implemented individually and/or in geographic batches. The first 4 projects will be implemented immediately, with the remainder started within 3 months. Each project will be completed within 3 months from start.
Program Description
Twelve high-impact low-cost projects will be implemented in Guatemala. Each will utilize the appropriate technology to achieve the maximum reduction in illness and death caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Most of the projects will be implemented by United States Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) living and working in the locations where the projects are implemented. There are currently 95 PCVs living and working in Guatemala to implement this program.
Typical Projects
Typical projects will be water storage tanks, handwashing stations, water filtration systems, and latrines.
Examples of similar projects conducted by Water Charity are:
Cajolá Latrine Project –
Guatemala
Chuitacabaj School
Water Storage and Handwashing Station Project – Guatemala
Itiúba Water Storage and Rainwater Catchment System Program – Brazil
Program Cost
The total program cost is $27,200 for 10 ferro-cement tanks. Individual tanks will range from $2,800 to $4,200, depending on the size.
Geographic Area
Construction will be done in various communities in Itiúba City, Bahia, Brazil.
Timetable
The first 3 projects will be implemented immediately. The remaining tanks will begin within 3 months. Each tank will be completed within 1 month from start.
Program Description
This program is to build water storage capacity in a 10 communities in Itiuba, a town of about 10,000 people in the state of Bahia in the Northeast region of Brazil. The area suffers from a lack of an adequate water supply, especially during the dry season.
The technology consists of building ferro-cement water storage tanks using local labor and materials.
The process includes clearing the area, erecting steel frames, fabricating and fitting molded concrete plates, and applying layers of cement inside and outside the tank.
Tanks may be filled by municipal service, water delivery trucks, or rainwater catchment systems. In the latter situation, gutters are attached to a nearby roof and water is piped to the tank.
The program will be implemented in partnership with Instituto Diamante Verde (IDV), a Brazilian NGO. Water Charity has completed 4 similar tanks in the area, each with a capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 liters.
Typical Projects
Examples of prior projects are as follows:
Picos Village Ferro-Cement
Tank and Rainwater Catchment Project – Brazil
Ponta Baixa Ferro-Cement
Tank and Rainwater Catchment Project – Brazil
Water and Sanitation Program – Dominican Republic
This program has three separate component programs.
High Impact Water and Sanitation Program – Dominican Republic
Program Cost
The total program cost is $21,600, consisting of 18 projects at an average cost of $1,200 each.
Geographic Area
Small projects will be implemented all over the Dominican Republic.
Timetable
Projects can be implemented individually and/or in geographic batches. The first 6 projects will be implemented immediately, with the remainder started within 4 months. Each project will be completed within 3 months from start.
Program Description
Eighteen high-impact low-cost projects will be implemented in the Dominican Republic. Each will utilize the appropriate technology to achieve the maximum reduction in illness and death caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Most of the projects will be implemented by United States Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) living and working in the locations where the projects are implemented. There are currently 207 PCVs living in the Dominican Republic to implement this program.
Typical Projects
Typical projects will be community water systems, water storage tanks, and latrines.
Water Charity has implemented 10 projects in the Dominican Republic. Following are examples:
El Brison Water System
Project – Dominican Republic
Mano Juan Primary
School Composting Latrine Project – Dominican Republic
La Penda Water Filter
Project – Dominican Republic
Subsurface Horizontal Constructed Wetlands Program
Program Cost
The total program cost is $12,000. Individual projects will range from $500 for a family-sized project to $1,500 for a size suitable for public facilities and segments of the community.
Geographic Area
Projects will be implemented all over the Dominican Republic.
Timetable
Half of the projects will be implemented immediately, with the remainder starting within 3 months. Each project will be completed in 2 months.
Program Description
The construction of Subsurface Horizontal Constructed Wetlands is a technology for removing contaminants from and purifying waste water. Runoff and standing water are eliminated, and water is filtered as it enters the underground drinking water supply.
Typical Projects
The technology has been proven, and is in use throughout the world, including in the Dominican Republic. Although Water Charity has not previously implemented projects of this type, our local partner Timothy McFarren, based in the Dominican Republic, has considerable experience in successfully building these wetlands.
Biodigester Program
Program Cost
The total cost is $17,600 for 8 units of varying sizes. Costs will range from $1,800 to $2,600 each.
Geographic Area
Biodigesters will be built all over Dominican Republic.
Timetable
Construction will begin immediately on 3 biodigesters, with work on the remainder beginning in 3 months. Each will be completed within 3 months of start.
Program Description
A biodigester is a structure that facilitates the decomposition of organic materials such as manure to produce methane gas (biogas) that can be used for cooking, heating, lighting, and as fuel for the operation of generators, with solid fertilizers as a byproduct.
Waste can come from pigs, cows, agricultural residue, or any number of sources. The process provides a unique opportunity to mitigate the effects of waste produced on farms while providing a cheap and sustainable source of energy.
Typical Project
Water Charity has experience with one similar project:
Cushpiurco
Biodigester Project
The program will be implemented under the direction of Timothy McFarren, identified above, who has considerable experience in implementing projects of this type in the Dominican Republic.
Filters for Life Program – Worldwide
Program Cost
The initial program cost is $24,000, composed of 8 blocks of $3,000 each. The ultimate number of projects that can be implemented under this model is unlimited.
Geographic Area
Each block can be implemented in any country (except conflict zones) as chosen by the donor for the block.
Timetable
The program will be implemented at once and completed in 3 months.
Program Description
This expands and improves upon the model created under the Water Charity Filters for Life Program
The program utilizes a proven technology that purifies contaminated water and removes, particles, bacteria and viruses to make it safe to drink. Target recipients are schools, clinics, community centers, and individual compounds and homes.
This program involves four specific steps:
- Identify target area with substantial contamination in the water
supply and extensive community participation in the development process. - Deliver filters to a central location for distribution.
- Train beneficiaries in the technology and install filters.
- Visit beneficiaries, determine compliance with usage protocol,
and evaluate results.
High-Impact Water and Sanitation Program – Peru
Program Cost
The total program cost is $15,000, consisting of 15 projects at an average of $1,000 each.
Geographic Area
Fifteen small projects will be implemented all over Peru.
Timetable
Projects will be implemented individually and/or in geographic batches. The first 4 projects will start immediately, with the remainder started within 3 months. Each will be completed within 3 months from start.
Program Description
Fifteen high-impact low-cost projects will be implemented in Peru. Each will utilize the appropriate technology to achieve the maximum reduction in illness and death caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Most of the projects will be implemented by United States Peace Corps Volunteers living and working in the locations where the projects are implemented. There are currently 271 PCVs living in Peru to implement this program.
Typical Projects
Typical projects will be community water systems, wells, handwashing stations, and latrines.
Water Charity has implemented 27 projects in Peru. Examples of such projects are as follows: