The three neighbouring South-Bolivian villages of Santa Ana, Siete Suyos and Chocoaya Animas, have neither a sufficient water supply nor a sanitation system. Additionally, some people in these villages also lack fresh food. The 5,550 residents live in unhygienic conditions and with illnesses that have a particularly harsh effect on children. Water is hauled from small groundwater sources that are often far away and the residents’ food as well as drinking water must be imported and is therefore quite costly. Mining, the single source of income for the villages, leads to the peoples’ dependency on the prices of raw materials and to the women’s and families’ dependence on the men.
Following an exploratory trip in August and September of 2009, the group Engineers Without Borders decided on measures to improve the quality of life for the people in the villages. Among other approaches, they plan to tap into a well that is 8 km away and pipe it to Santa Ana Village in order to ensure the daily supply of drinking water, as well as to expand and improve the existing outdated water supplies in Siete Suyos and Chocoaya Animas. In addition, they plan to build simply-designed dry toilets in order to provide the residents with adequate sanitation facilities. For demonstration purposes, they will also build greenhouses and livestock units so that the village residents—especially the women—can earn an additional income through raising crops and animals, and so that the villagers can develop their own fresh food supply. Each of these measures will be led by the people themselves, with support from Engineers Without Borders and other partner organisations.
Financial support is needed to cover the costs of materials and for constructing the pipelines, the dry toilets and the greenhouses. These costs cannot be covered by the villagers themselves. We are counting on your support!
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