El Salvador

Community Description
The community of El Limon is a small village in the hot, dry lands of El Salvador’s eastern most department of La Union. Nestled within the municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima, this community is extremely accessible, as it runs parallel along the Pan American highway.

El Limon is home to approximately 150 families and over 1,000 residents according to a recent census. Over 40% of these inhabitants are children and youth who are 19 years old or younger.

The local school runs from Kindergarten to the 9th grade for 250 students. To attend high school, students must travel to the city of Santa Rosa de Lima, which is costly due to transportation fees, study materials and tuition. As a result, only about half of each graduating class continues on toward a high school degree.

The majority of local work is done in the corn and bean fields and a handful tend to their cattle for milk. As the city of Santa Rosa de Lima is nearby, others find work in the market selling vegetables, baked goods, and clothing. The majority of families receive remittances from family members working abroad in order to meet their basic needs of food, clothing and medicine.

Despite these difficulties, El Limon’s ADESCO (Community Development Organization) has successfully implemented a variety of impressive projects. They paved the main road in 1998 by having each family work to pave the plot of dirt road in front of their house. This participatory approach has contributed to the success of its continued maintenance, and the main road, to this day, is in great condition.

The ADESCO also implemented a project to provide electricity for over 90% of the community in 2006.

Most recently the ADESCO took on the difficult task of potable water. As of 2008, over 100 families and the local school receive potable water from a system of a communal well and water tank. A community pump draws water from the well, which runs into a large tank, and then to the houses and school.

Each family undertook the responsibility of installing pipes to connect its house to the main water line. Water reaches the families for two hours twice a week, during which they fill up the water basins for drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry.

Recently, the community pump broke. The villagers have been without drinking water ever since, and during this time, people have shared their personal well water or have traveled together to purchase water. The well water from these personal wells is not safe for drinking. However, despite this, many villagers drink this untreated water.

Project Description
This project is to repair the broken community water pump, and to replace the piping needed to reach safe drinking water.

The project has been developed with the assistance of a specialist. Community members have been trained in pump maintenance and will be able to keep up the system after completion.

Project funds will go to purchase materials, and for labor costs to complete the project.

The ADESCO has raised a significant portion of the amount needed. However, assistance is needed to carry out the entire project and restore water to the community.

Project Impact
Over 100 families, consisting of over 600 residents, as well as the 250 students at the local school will benefit from this project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Erica Matsumoto

Comments
Residents have been placed in the untenable position of having to improvise ways to obtain water for their daily needs. This simple but highly-effective project will have a huge impact on the wellbeing of the village and the students at the school by restoring functionality of the existing well.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00 + additional amounts for future projects

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Erica Matsumoto.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Erica Matsumoto of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Erica and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in El Salvador.

Community Description
El Balsamar is a small community with about 600 people. It is made up of a cooperative of villagers who work balsamo (a type of resin they extract from the balsamo tree and process and sell) and coffee.

Most of the community members own land where the majority plant corn, beans, sorghum, and rice. It is a very poor community, with most of the income coming from what little the community members make selling crops, and what the cooperative gives them for balsamo and coffee.

There is also a conservation area within the community that attracts school and biological groups with its wide range of flora and fauna species and its 125 foot waterfall.

There are many active community groups from an ADESCO (community development association) to a water committee. Each group is always active and eager to bring in new projects and development to the community.

There is an abundance of water in the community with its natural springs. However, many people having to walk great distances to do laundry, wash dishes, and bathe.

What the people lack is an appropriate place to store water in their households. Having a “pila” (raised concrete tank used for storing water) would reduce the number of trips that household members have to make to their water source.

Project Description
A concrete pila will be built and installed in each of 12 households.

Project funds will be used to buy the materials.

The community will contribute the work to build the pilas and transport the materials.

Project Impact
This project will affect 70 people living in the 12 households that will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Evan Anderson

Comments
The project provides a household water storage unit that can also be used for washing dishes and laundry. This will create a tremendous saving of time and effort, leaving the villagers time to work or engage in community activities.

The project largely benefits women and children who are the ones usually burdened by retrieving water and doing household chores.

The simplicity, robustness, and longevity of the pilas make this project a good use of capital. The large community contribution of labor demonstrates the commitment of the beneficiaries.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$0.00

ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW

Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you "naming rights", if that is something you would like.

Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$500.00

Community Description
La Laguneta is a small community of about 650 people situated on the side of the San Vicente volcano. The majority of the people work as day laborers in the coffee fincas which surround the community and cover the volcano.

The community suffers from a lack of water during the dry season, which lasts from November to May. There are times when families do not have enough water to bathe or wash clothes every day.

The local elementary school receives its water from a well at the corner of the property. Water is currently manually pumped using a wheel and rope system. It is then carried to the bathrooms for use by the children in washing their hands and flushing the toilets. In addition, it is carried to the kitchen area to be used for preparing food and washing dishes.

Project Description
This project is to purchase and install a 1.5 HP electric pump to draw water from the well. The water will be piped to an existing tank which is connected to the bathrooms, kitchen, and a faucet on the side of the school.

Project Impact
This project will benefit the 119 students, ages 4-15.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Anna Penoyar

Comments
This project will provide a ready flow of water for use by the students and school caretakers. It builds upon the existing infrastructure, and will result in a great savings of time and labor, as well as an improvement in the hygiene of the school.

Dollar Amount of Project
$200.00

Donations Collected to Date
$200.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded in honor of the 6th grade students of the Beebe School in Malden, MA.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Anna Penoyar of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Anna and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in El Salvador.

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

Community Description
The community of Cacahuatalejo, located in a low valley in the southern portion of the department of Morazan, is extremely hot, dusty and dry. There are 180 houses and 875 residents according to a recent census taken by the local Health Promoter.

The primary school of the town houses 185 students from Kindergarten to 9th grade. A smaller school in the neighborhood halfway up the mountain houses another 67 students from Kindergarten to 6th grade.

Farming small plots of corn, bean, and sorghum and raising cattle are the main sources of employment in the village. As the village is located within the municipality of the “capital” of the department of Morazan, there are a handful of residents that work in stores, pharmacies, and banks in the town.

The majority of students cannot afford to attend high school and college due to costs of transportation, study materials, and tuition. The majority of homes receive remittances from family members working abroad so they can purchase basic needs such as food, clothing and medicine.

The community has a functioning ADESCO (Community Development Association) that manages the community water system, solicits NGOs and local government for development projects, and puts on village events, such as soccer tournaments and the annual carnival.

The ADESCO successfully brought electricity to the community six years ago and has been in the process of improving the well for the community water system for the past few years. Unfortunately, as a poor village in the poorest department in El Salvador, some projects are simply too costly without outside aid.

Water is always on the minds of the residents of Cacahuatalejo. Half of its residents are connected to a village water system, managed by the ADESCO, which provides a few hours of running water twice a week during the wet season and one half hour to an hour during the dry season. The residents that are not connected to the water system must find water from the creeks (which are dry half the year), private wells, or trucked-in water throughout the year.

As March approaches life becomes harder. Residents haul water each day during the dry months for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, laundry, and livestock. Some women and children in the community haul water all day from the one functioning public pump, as the aquifer is bone-dry.

In 1996 two community water pumps were installed in the central neighborhood of Cacahuatalejo, which houses the larger school and 125 residents of the village. The two pumps have very different life stories. One pump has been fixed correctly before and provides water to residents in “El Centro” throughout the year. It is the only public source during much of the dry season for "El Centro." The other pump is littered with holes from rust due to improper repairs and has not provided water since 1998.

Project Description
This project is to repair the broken community water pump. Project funds will be used to purchase materials and tools, and pay for the transportation and labor needed to complete the project.

In addition, an experienced water-pump contractor will train four members of the local ADESCO in pump maintenance, so they will be able to fix it when future problems occur.

Manual labor will be contributed by the ADESCO. Officers of the ADESCO, along with PCV Zach Tomas, will manage the project.

Project Impact
This project will benefit at least 210 people, consisting of 125 residents of the neighborhood "El Centro" plus 185 students from the largest school. In addition, the two community churches will be served.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Zach Thomas

Comments
This project arose from and is being carried out by a strong community organization. In addition, it contains a component to train community members in pump maintenance. Both factors serve to ensure that the project will be successfully implemented and maintained into the future.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

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

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