EL SALVADORVillage of Pamplona, LaPaz

FAIRLAND BRETHREN IN CHRIST CHURCH

Candoris Technologies

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LOTIFICACION PAMPLONA COMMUNITYLA PAZ, ZACATECOLUCA, EL SALVADORLATITUDE: 14.063843, LONGITUDE: -89.623385

The small community of Pamplona was home to 230 residents and lacked a most essential resource: safe water. A stranger to the community may not realize that the community suffered from an awful water crisis because there were 37 hand-dug wells throughout the community. Yet these wells often dwindled to the point that theywere unusable... Furthermore, the waterquality from these wells was not safe to drink. Yet the only alternative was a nearby river, which was not safe either!

The unsafe nature of the water made the community members susceptible to water- related diseases. The only way to reduce the risk of these illnesses was to avoid collecting water at all, which was impossible. The resource most essential for living was harming the quality of life of those in Pamplona.

The water crisis was not only harming the residents physically but also limiting their potential to develop themselves. Time spent away from work due to illness or dehydration meant their livelihoods were compromised. In this way, the scarcity and unsafe quality of water were threatening the socio-economic fabric of the community.Something needed to change. These patterns could not persist.

This is one of the hand-dug wells the community members got their water from.

The community is very remote.

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A local leader was concerned about the community members' well-being. She was familiar with Living Water International's work in the region and therefore decided to reach out to request assistance for her community. The Living Water (AguaViva) El Salvador staff was happy to visit the community to assess what could be done to help them. They ascertained that the need for a new well was dire and that the residents were ready for the responsibility of sustaining this new resource.The LWI staff was glad to announce that a water well could be constructed soon, thanks to a generous gift from Candoris and the team installation by Fairland Brethren in Christ Church.

The team has begun work on the well.

POPULATION

MAIN WATER COLLECTORS

TERRAIN

230

women, children

rural

The drilling team soon arrived and set to work on the well project along with a Living Water Trips team from Pennsylvania. The team drilled until they reached a safe water aquifer at 39 meters deep. They flushed out the borehole to clear it of sedimentary rock debris. Once the drilling team cased the borehole with PVC, formed agravel pack, treated the water, and mounted a hand pump, the well was complete! Of special note…this was an artesian well fed from a subterranean river. Water flowed without pumping.

The well is complete!

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CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

ALTITUDE 99 m

DEPTH DRILLED 39 m

CASING EXTERNAL DIAMETER 100 mm

CASING MATERIAL PVC

PUMP TYPE HAND PUMP

GRAVEL PACK DEPTH 20 m

SHOCK CHLORINATION YES

PLATFORM MATERIAL CONCRETE

DRAINAGE CHANNEL YES

WATER QUALITY TESTS

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS 116 ppm

PH 7HARDNESS 60 PPM

A community member excitedly pumps safe water for the first time.

The Living Water staff is glad to work with your team!

"Here at the community, we did not have safe water to drink. It was very contaminated, and sometimes in the winter, it would become yellow. With thenew water well, we know we will be safer."

— Leticia Carranza, 31-year-old housewife

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In order to safeguard the functionality of the well and the safe quality of the water, the Living Water El Salvador staff guided the community in these next steps. The community nominated a water management committee, who will remain in contact with Living Water about the functionality of the pump. The caretakers will also collect a small monthly fee (possibly US $1 per month from community households in order to cover the cost of future repairs to the pump. This preparation helped foster good stewardship among the community members.

Maria shares her story with the staff and team.

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The Living Water Trips team and staff also led a sanitation and hygiene training for 80 community members. Some of these participants included students and children. The lessons in the training were discussion-based, interactive, and supplemented with visual aids, making the subject matter universally understandable.

The team explained how to use the pump correctly and store water properly. They also explained the nature of germ spread, viruses, and disease transmission using visual aids.

The participants learned that proper and regular hand washing was the best way to protect themselves against these threats. They were taught proper technique and given the opportunity to practice using a water-saving device called a "tippy tap." They also learned how to brush their teeth correctly through the use of an oversized set of plastic teeth.

These lessons prepared the community members to begin making healthy choices in their daily lives. They learned that their individual choices would result in improved community health.

Community members learn to wash their hands using a device called a tippy tap.

The community members send their love and thanks!

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The Living Water staff led an evangelism session for the community. They taught Bible stories using narration, audience repetition, question-and-response, and memorization.Through this method, called Bible storying, the participants learned stories including, "The Samaritan Woman at the Well," and "The Parable of the Lost Sheep."

The Living Water Trips team and staff also led the community members in a well dedication ceremony. Together, they gave thanks to the generous donors, the gift of the safe water well, and prayed that God would continue to use it to restore the community.

The Living Water Trips team also helped to distribute 49 Bibles, along with other supplies, to the community members. They prayed that each person would grow in faith and a relationship with the Lord. The safe water well would serve as a daily reminder of how the community members were shown the love of God through the compassion of Fairland Brethren in Christ Church and Candoris.

The team leads a Bible storying workshop.

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By giving the gift of safe water, you gave the gift of life, Fairland Brethren in Christ Church. Now that the village has abundant safe water near their homes, they will have more time to dedicate to their families. Illness and lack of water will no longer concern the community members. They are free to provide for their families by earning consistently and planning for the future. The safe water management system would foster unity among the villagers as they operate from a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. In this way, they will model good stewardship and shine the light of God's hope to surrounding communities.

Job 11:16-18 (NIV) says, "You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety." These words reflect the hope that the residents of village of Pamplona are experiencing, which you brought about through your lifesaving gift. Now, whenever they collect water, they will be reminded of how the providence of the Lord was shown to them through your gift.

Thank you for giving water, for life, in Jesus' name.

Thank you for giving the gift of safe water!