Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

Provide access to safe, adequate water supply and to sanitation; improve hygiene habits; train the community to maintain its improved water supply and sanitation facilities.

Project Message

I have witnessed the daily struggle for survival by people without access to safe water. I am inspired by the way they are able to face their problems with dignity and hope.
- Marla Smith-Nilson, Director of International Programs

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Marla Smith-Nilson,
Director of International Programs
PO Box 654
Columbia, Missouri 65205-0654
United States
573-447-2222
Email:

Project Sponsor

WaterPartners International

Organization

WaterPartners International PO Box 22680 Kansas City, Missouri 64113-0680 United States 913.312.8600 http://www.water.org

Learn more about WaterPartners International and the project team.

WaterPartners International's Funded Projects on GlobalGiving

Safe Water & Latrines for Honduran Village	The Melakarthigaipatti Safe Water Project	Safe Water & Latrines for Village in India	Bring Safe, Clean Water to Ethiopian Children
The Ayinapatti Water Project	Safe Water and Latrines for Bangladeshi Slum	The Ambelalie Water Project	The Fordnagar Water Project
See all 13 projects

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in Honduras and can also be found under Health.

For more information about Honduras, read the Human Development Report on Honduras or the Wikipedia entry for Honduras.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on May 22, 2006.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on July 31, 2003.

Latest Update from the Field

Project Update: Santa Cruz

By Laurel Groh - Sr. Communications Manager, May 22, 2006 03:24 PM

Project Status: Ongoing

The village of Santa Cruz, Honduras, faced a severe water and health crisis. Women and children spent hours each day collecting water for household use and drinking. Water was either collected from small springs/waterholes or from small springs near neighboring villages, during the dry season. Often miles away from their homes, most of these sources were contaminated. Water-related diseases, such as cholera, were high.
Local sanitation customs further impeded access to safe drinking water. Most community members used open, poorly constructed, public latrines that were not only dangerous but contributed to the local water contamination. Further unsanitary conditions and practices at the household level, such as the absence of sanitary latrines, unsafe waste disposal and unhygienic behavior in childcare and food preparation, created a dangerous environment especially risky for children’s health. A lack of sanitation facilities in schools helped transmit diseases and kept girls out of school.

The incidence of water-related diseases and malnutrition were on the rise in Santa Cruz, fueling the cycle of poverty and disease.

Using an integrated approach, the Santa Cruz Water and Sanitation Project combines health/sanitation education with constructing a new sanitation and water system. Combining these two approaches has been shown to lead to a greater reduction of childhood mortality than any other tactic.

The project got underway in late 2005. Initial project activities focused on community development and education. The community has elected its water administration board, to oversee the construction and later the maintenance of the new system. In cooperation with local health care workers, our partner organization began the first stage of an intensive community hygiene and sanitation education program. Santa Cruz also began construction of latrines in each participating household.

The construction of the water system is nearing completion. The community has played an active role throughout the project, providing the labor and local construction materials. To date, the spring has been capped and the main pipeline has been installed. Over the next reporting period, the project will focus on finalizing the distribution network and installing individual water connections and washbasins. Significant progress has also been made in the household. More than half of the participating families have fully excavated their tanks and are part way through installing their new latrine.

Links:

• To read more about the Santa Cruz project, click here

• Click here to download the complete project update report

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