Guatemala

Guatemala

Country statistics Population: 13.4 mio. People without improved drinking water services: 550,000 Child mortality: 3.9% Source: United Nations Statistics Division Project Start of the SODIS promotion: 2005 Diffusion through NGOs, Ministry of Health, local promoters 50 000 users

In 2005 we started to promote the SODIS-method in Guatemala, together with the SODIS Foundation. In the meantime, several leading NGOs started to include the SODIS method in their ongoing projects and programmes as the exclusive promotion of chlorination over the past decade has not yielded the desired results: Still, thousands of families drink water directly from wells, from springs and from rivers. Even in places where there is a water supply network, the quality of the delivered water often is poor. As a result, diarrhoea is the third most common disease among children, and it cements the vicious circle of malnutrition, illness and poverty.

The current project is implemented by the local organisation „EPICSA“ in the region of Jalapa (close to the border with Honduras). After intensive training by the SODIS Foundation, the organisation began to inform settlers during community meetings about SODIS and other simple methods of obtaining safe drinking water. Complementary, a series of activities will support the promotion of improved hygiene, namely hand washing with soap. EPICSA relies on many years of experience in implementing such projects and has good contacts in the region, for example to the informal leaders, to the staff of health centres and to teachers. These key personas will now help to spread the message about SODIS quickly and efficiently.

Local partner organisation

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