In the rural community of Solimar de Zepeda, Honduras, the school director and teacher worried about the water and sanitation issues in their community. They reached out to PWW for help.
Today, thanks to their motivation for change combined with critical donor support, the school has a comprehensive safe water and sanitation program, including a clean water filter, water piping from the source to the school, gender-specific latrines, and a handwashing station. Students and teachers have learned about safe hygiene practices, including menstrual hygiene management, which empowers girls to stay in school and achieve an education!
What’s more, all of the families have clean water filters and safe latrines at their homes and all have learned the importance of safe hygiene practices. The community has transformed.
“We are overjoyed because all of the people of Solimar de Zepeda are now enjoying full access to safe water and proper hygiene!” – School Director
*Click here to read more about this community.
We recently closed the books on another impactful fiscal year and are excited to share the results that YOU helped make possible.
- Reached >6,000 individuals in Haiti & Honduras with safe water & sanitation solutions.
- Installed 1,206 biosand water filters in homes and in schools
- Directed the construction of latrines at 218 homes.
- Built 54 latrines, 28 hand-washing stations, and 6 rainwater-harvesting systems at schools. Laid over 15km of piping from the water source to the school.
- Conducted 148 hygiene education workshops for families/communities.
- Trained 366 volunteer Community Agents, empowering them with the knowledge to support their communities’ safe water and sanitation programs.
- Provided 67 schoolteachers with lessons about how to integrate safe water, hygiene (including menstrual hygiene) and sanitation practices into the classroom.
- Completed 917 monitoring visits to homes and schools, reinforcing sustainability.
- WASH Training and Consulting Teams conducted 23 workshops, covering more than 10 topics, providing essential skills to 448 participants. WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) training allows our teams to share their expertise, building the capacity of other groups (governmental and nongovernmental) and expanding the reach of programs exponentially!
- Completed 516 tests in the Water Quality Lab in Haiti.
OTHER NOTABLE ACTIVITIES OF FISCAL YEAR 2019 INCLUDE:
- Expanded our impact in Limonade, Haiti through a partnership with local WASH implementer, FECHEN. PWW provides training and oversight to the FECHEN team as well as monitors the program to ensure quality and sustainability. Together, we reached 100 families last year.
- Launched a Menstrual Hygiene Management program in Haiti. Committed to delivering comprehensive WASH programs in schools in Leogane, Haiti, the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake, this inaugural program in Haiti reached 1,062 students, their teachers, and their families. “This is the first time these students have heard words about menstrual hygiene management, and we are the first NGO in the area working on teaching this critical topic,” shares David Trofort, Haiti Country Director, PWW.
- Continued to deepen and expand relationships between PWW and governmental agencies, multinational health organizations, and other nongovernmental groups in both Haiti and Honduras. One example is a partnership between PWW and the Honduras Ministry of Education to expand WASH training in the remote region of La Mosquitía: PWW trained 89 teachers, 13 of whom learned how to teach WASH practices. Only six months after receiving this training, these teachers had already trained over 5,050 people!
- Hosted an event in Honduras that brought together organizations and government entities, from across the country, to establish policies and measures for implementing effective household water programs in Honduras.
- Honored at the Picture This Festival for the Planet event at Sony Studios in Hollywood. The global competition featured films with messages that support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PWW’s video, titled Why Do You Give?, was selected as the US finalist. We are grateful to Sony for their commitment to helping improve life for all people on our planet. You can watch our video at purewaterfortheworld.org.
This coming fiscal year we celebrate 20 years of bringing life-changing safe water and sanitation solutions to children and families with critical need. This impactful work is only possible thanks to your generosity! We humbly thank and honor you for your invaluable partnership.
With gratitude,
Jamin Marie Gelder
Deputy Director