| Location: | Huayllachocha, Peru |
| Start Date: | 2004 |
| End Date: | 2010 |
| Partners: |
Sombrilla, in partnership with Peruvian NGO Centro de Medicina Andina embarked on a project to bring clean water into the homes of the residents of Huayllacocha Peru. Initially the people of this community had no access to clean water and were in fact using untreated ground water leading to concerns about waterborne disease. Partial funding for the project was obtained via the Alberta Government “Wild Rose Foundation.”
In an earlier stage of the project completed in 2008 almost 10,000 native plants and trees were planted in the community in an attempt to conserve moisture. This part of the project was highly successful with an 80% survival rate of the plants in the first year.
The bringing of water into the community was delayed by over a year as we waited for the Peruvian Government to complete a dam that would allow us to access water from a lake. The dam was completed this spring and the water project was in place in the community by the end of summer. The water is piped into a storage and treatment facility in the village. The water is filtered and chlorinated then piped into the homes.
Bringing water into the houses rather than to a communal tap reduces the likelihood of contamination of the water after it has been treated, with the expectation of a large decrease in illnesses such as parasite infections, hepatitis typhoid and gastrointestinal illnesses. The increased water flow also allows for irrigation of crops and greater capacity to raise animals leading to higher income levels. Twelve community members were trained to maintain the water system