Filter Project for Garbage Dump Workers of Guatemala

In December, Water Charity began a program to provide water filters to the families that work in the Guatemala City Garbage Dump. We will be working in conjunction with Safe Passage
(Camino Seguro), a nonprofit organization that does extensive work with this population.

Safe Passage works with the poorest at-risk children of families working in the garbage dump. They provide a comprehensive and integrated program that fosters hope, good health, educational achievement, self-sufficiency, self esteem and confidence.

With financial support from Safe Passage, each child is able to attend a local public school for the half-day term and then come to their center for educational reinforcement, caring and supervision.

The environment in and around the dump is toxic, with methane gases, rotting food, insects and vermin, and unsafe water. Entire families, including the children, are forced to work in these conditions in order to survive.

As part of the program Safe Passage provides literacy training and health education to the mothers of the children enrolled in the program. It is through this Mothers Group that we are implementing the filter project.

Unclean water worldwide is responsible for illness and death due to intestinal illness. In Guatemala, it is one of the leading causes of death, with disproportionate impact on infants and children.

Although there exists a water supply in the neighborhood surrounding the dump, it is contaminated with metals, bacteria, viruses and parasites. This population provides an outstanding application for one of the common filter technologies, as no other low cost alternatives for safe potable water are available. Obvious choices are those using biosand and ceramic technologies.

Biosand filters have been proven worldwide to remove contaminants in water through a combination of biological and mechanical processes. In essence, the filters make unsafe water safe for families to use for drinking and household use.

Ceramic filters have proven equally effective, and the choice must be made on other factors which include, for example, effectiveness, availability of materials, costs, ease of transportation, longevity, and preferences of the beneficiaries.

Safe Passage provides a clinic at their Reinforcement Center. The clinic offers on-site health care for the children enrolled in the program, as well as their direct family members. Medical records are kept, which will enable a controlled experiment to prove the effectiveness of the filters in combating gastrointestinal diseases.

This project is to be viewed as a pilot project, to be replicated and improved upon with demonstrated success. In view of the lifesaving effectiveness, low cost, long life, minimal maintenance, and ease of implementation, we have moved it to the top of our project list.

This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

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

Conclusion of Guatemala City Water Filter Project

We are pleased to report the conclusion of the pilot projects to install water filters in the homes of the members of the Women’s Literacy Group of Safe Passage
(Camino Seguro) in Guatemala City. You can read the history of this project HERE.

The project resulted in the installation of 43 point-of-use Ecofiltro ceramic water filters, and the training of all recipients in the proper use and maintenance of the filters. In addition 3 large filters were placed in Safe Passage public areas.

The project began with studies by Ecofiltro, a nonprofit that manufactures clay filters in Guatemala, showing that the water coming out of the municipal water pipes was polluted with contaminants, such as e coli, at least 87 percent of the time.

There were also health records kept by the Safe Passage clinic, and the nursing staff had concluded that children suffered from diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal illnesses due to unsafe water much of the time.

Safe Passage then did a baseline study, meeting with all of the filter recipients and collecting extensive background data. This data will allow them to follow the families on regular intervals, coinciding with regular visits to assure that the filters are being used properly. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the filters in eliminating or cutting down disease is now possible.

As an added bonus, the participants in the program will receive a 20-hour course on nutrition, hygiene, and holistic health for themselves and their families, conducted by La Familia de Las Americas.

The project was extremely gratifying in many respects. First was the opportunity to work with Safe Passage, an organization doing such great work with the families that work at the Guatemala City Garbage Dump. Their integrated approach, taking into account the many needs of a specific segment of the population, allows individuals to elevate themselves from the difficult conditions in which they are surrounded.

The project was led by Liz Love, who directs the Adult Literacy Program at Safe Passage. Through her hard work and dedication, this project was carried out without a hitch.

Working with a cohesive group of motivated mothers will assure compliance in the use and maintenance of the filters, and allow for evaluation.

As a pilot project, the technology, practices, and procedures can be replicated, and other needy groups and families can be served.

Many international aid organizations focus on the needs of communities in the rural areas, sometimes resulting in neglect of urban communities. With dense population, urban pollution, and difficult sanitation problems, the cities are in need of increased and immediate attention.

We will be continuing our involvement with Safe Passage to deal with the needs of the community they serve, with other water and sanitation technologies that may be appropriate.