We work in close contact with the Peace Corps in Bolivia. Through their administration, we strive to get funds to Volunteers in the field, as quickly as possible, to aid in their water and sanitation projects.
The Peace Corps operates under the premise that they are there to provide manpower, education, and training, not money. Sustainability can only be achieved through helping and teaching. Their projects are generally implemented at a very low cost, and are designed for great impact.
We work in close contact with the Peace Corps in Bolivia. Through their administration, we strive to get funds to Volunteers in the field, as quickly as possible, to aid in their water and sanitation projects.
The Peace Corps operates under the premise that they are there to provide manpower, education, and training, not money. Sustainability can only be achieved through helping and teaching. Their projects are generally implemented at a very low cost, and are designed for great impact.
As a general principle, the Peace Corps in Bolivia likes to use seed money to develop, test, and demonstrate a technology and a project methodology. Once proven to be worthwhile, the project can be emulated in other communities throughout the country.
Every water and sanitation project requires not only in-kind contributions from the community, but a financial commitment as well. In addition, the local government takes part in the project by providing its support, and also a financial contribution.
Presently, Volunteers are preparing proposals for projects that would be of great help to them in the communities in which they are working. The procedure for providing them with funding works as follows:
- Volunteer proposals are submitted to the Peace Corps Partners Program, and posted on the Peace Corps website.
- Water Charity funds individual projects, in whole or in part, depending on the situation.
- Water Charity schedules our trips to enable us to participate in several of the projects in the field, and to evaluate the effectiveness of each endeavor.
The current project on which we are working with the Peace Corps in Bolivia can be summarized as follows:
One Volunteer working in the field of Basic Sanitation is involved in well drilling and construction of ferrocement water catchment tanks for areas that do not have a constant or clean water source.
Ferrocement tanks were introduced to Bolivia by Peace Corps and are designed to collect rain water from a suitable roof and to keep the water cool and clean until it is utilized by the community or family. In this community there is no constant water source, and the dry season lasts at least six months.
A 50,000 liter water tank will catch water off a corrugated tin roof covering the basketball court of the local school. The water collected will be directly used by the students for drinking and washing hands.
This project will demonstrate the value of this technology to local officials and communities, and will teach workers the technique so that it can be replicated.
The community already has many of the tools needed and the local municipal government has agreed to pay for transportation of materials and labor, as well as obtaining the needed sand and gravel as the community contribution towards the project.
The building process will take approximately 10 days and will include various local masons and workers as well as neighboring Peace Corps volunteers.
In addition to the methodology of constructing ferrocement tanks, we are working with the Peace Corps on other technologies that will be useful to Volunteers working in the field. You can read more about them in the Appropriate Technologies section.