Loma Atravesada Water and Sanitation Project – Dominican Republic

Location
Loma Atravesada, Monte Cristi Province, Dominican Republic

Community Description
Loma Atravesada is a small, rural community located in the province of Monte Cristi in the northwest corner of the Dominican Republic. The economy is based around fishing and the harvesting of tobacco. Marginal economic gains are made in animal breeding, hunting, and the cultivation of minor crops.

 Locals spend their free time visiting one another’s homes, going to the local church, playing dominos, and attending biweekly community meetings.

Problem Addressed
Loma Atravesada is a place plagued by a lack of access to an aqueduct or other water source. This problem, the principal challenge of the community, is compounded by the aridness of the region, which receives some of the lightest amounts of precipitation in the country.

Without any system of water service, citizens rely on the light rainfall which they collect from their zinc roofs, and at times from somewhat reliable water trucks which arrive to pump water into above-ground cisterns or storage tanks.

Furthermore, not all homes in the community have access to their own bathroom.

Project Description
This project is to help the most disadvantaged homes in the community to obtain basic PVC water catchment systems on their roofs, repair leaking water storage tanks, and provide basic sanitation through the construction of private latrines.

Under the direction of Las Mujeres Unidas (The United Women), two local, experienced masons will work with participating homes to provide the skilled labor associated with latrine construction and the repairing of large cement cisterns.

Beneficiaries will be responsible for labor associated with installing tubing to the sides of their roofs, prepping cisterns for repair, and digging 2-3 meter pits for latrines. These families will also contribute an unpaid assistant to work with local masons as well as to provide meals to workers during all days of construction.

This project involves working with the neediest families in the community who are deemed unable to obtain PVC tubing to collect rainwater, bags of cement to repair their broken cisterns, or the materials needed to construct an outdoor latrine. Consequently, Water Charity funds will be used to obtain construction materials, including bags of cement, sheets of zinc, wood, nails, sand/gravel, PVC tubing, and also to pay the local masons for their work.

Project Impact
21 people will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Thomas Betts

Comments
Participants will be afforded an increased capacity to store rain and imported truck water for basic hygiene, bathing, dish and clothes washing, cleaning, and drinking purposes. In addition, the project will ensure that 100% of homes in the community have access to their own latrine, providing privacy and convenience, as well as protecting the village from dangerous diseases, such as cholera.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.12

Donations Collected to Date
$555.12

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of the Christopher Lin, of Diamond Bar, CA, USA.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Thomas Betts of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Thomas and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.