Dominican Republic

Water Charity is participating in this project, which involves a number of other entities and individuals, by providing the final funding necessary to get the project underway.

The community of La Colorada Abajo, Municipality of Malmon, Puerta Plata, is home to more than one hundred people, who currently live without access to potable water. During the rainy season, the river often rises to prohibit vehicular traffic to the main road, thereby isolating the community.

To meet their daily needs, families currently collect rain and stream water that is contaminated with diarrhea-causing parasites. Diarrhea can lead to serious health complications, including dehydration and malnutrition, particularly in young children and the elderly.

The gravity-fed system outputs over seven gallons of water per minute, which is sufficient to meet the needs of the residents as well as those of the community centers: a schoolhouse, two community churches, and a local baseball park.

To ensure sustainability, the community has a water committee which was formed to manage the project from planning through construction and maintenance. The project will take approximately 5 months to complete.

The schedule calls for the purchase and transportation of materials, the digging of the trench, the assembly and burying of the pipe, and the construction of the tank, intake, river crossings, and standpipe.

The residents of La Colorada Abajo will supply all necessary labor for the project, amounting to almost 30% of total costs. In addition, all members will pay a biweekly quota toward system upkeep, and will pay to be connected to the system.

Project funds will be used to purchase the required materials. The project is being implemented under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Casey.

Plumbers will be trained to maintain the system. Health promoters will train the community in hygiene and sanitation, and make home visits to ensure compliance. Sustainability will be insured by fiscal responsibility in the collection and disbursement of funds for maintenance.

Participants will gain leadership and technical skills, which will carry forward to future community projects, and may lead to employment opportunities for those who take part.

This project, arising from and supported by the community and progressing through the organizational and planning stages, has the elements needed to continue through the construction phase on schedule and within budget. It will lead to the elimination of water-borne disease, and empower the community to progress to other development projects.

To indicate your desire that your contribution be allocated to this project, click to Donate button below.

The project will be led by an association of 15 small farming communities in the San Juan Valley of the Dominican Republic. The project site is located between two of the communities, and will have an impact on all of them.

The project is being carried out under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer B. Saver.

The primary source of income of the communities is agricultural production. The clearing of land for agriculture has caused widespread deforestation, which has had a significant effect on the livelihood of the inhabitants.

Deforestation has caused soil erosion, the drying of rivers, and a decrease in rainfall. Soil erosion causes farmers to lose more of their land suitable for planting every year.

A fruit tree nursery will be created to provide place for villagers to buy grafted fruit trees that can be used to practice sustainable forestry techniques. A healthy biodiversity will be created, and soil conservation techniques will be implemented.

An additional benefit will be that the nursery will provide a supplemental income for those who are involved in the planting, maintenance, care, and sales of the trees.

The community members will do all of the work in starting the nursery, including clearing and preparing the land. They will build fences to surround the nursery, water the plants daily, and provide all necessary maintenance. Project funds will be used to purchase the necessary tools, seeds, and materials to establish to nursery.

The project will serve to protect the water source for the communities, and improve the use of the land upon which the people rely for their survival. Forestry skills will be taught to the villagers that can be continued and replicated. A single infusion of capital will have an ongoing impact, as the project will become self-sustainable.

To indicate your desire to contribute to this project, please click the Donate button below.

Water Charity is participating in this larger project to a small extent. A number of donors, and the community at large, have contributed the major portion of the necessary funding. While the vast majority of our projects involve “hardware”, this project involves education and training activities that definitely will lead to physical projects, and thus comes directly within our purview.

In addition, we are happy to provide the “last dollars” for this project, which was waiting for full funding before it could begin. With our modest contribution, this project is now underway.

This community in the Dominican Republic is located in the Northeast of the country on a peninsula and includes approximately 800 families. Most families are active within existing community groups and participate in projects for the community. The women’s group is active and dedicated to improving the lives of its community members.

Incomes are low, and improvements in health and sanitation are of prime importance. Most families do not have latrines, and for the few that do, they are in very poor condition.

The community is contributing 25% of the project costs.

The project is being coordinated by Peace Corps Volunteer E. Monteith, with the assistance of a second PCV. They will facilitate the training of health and hygiene education for the women and families in the community.

The women’s group, along with community leaders will be involved in supervising and maintaining the latrines upon completion of the project.

To make a donation for this project, please use the Donate button below.

The community is made up of 74 houses and 242 people. The community has a church, baseball field, two local stores, and a cooperative. The water source is presently used for bathing, drinking, and domestic use.

The project is being administered by Peace Corps Volunteer Andrew Gibbons, in collaboration with the community.

An older water system in the community became inoperative when there was a landslide, which destroyed the tank and much of the tubing. The community is taking precautions to prevent future landslides by placing gabions at the source, and planting trees and bamboo.

The project plans includes building a new intake tank, replacing the majority of the old tubing, and installing new tap stands at the homes of the beneficiaries.

The community is contributing the labor and some funds, amounting to 57% of the total budget.

The community has formed a governing body, the Water Committee, to oversee and organize every aspect of construction, including labor and movement of materials.

As part of the project plan, the Water Committee will write statutes, collect the monthly quotas as well as any other funds, request materials from potential donors, and write contracts for beneficiaries. Thus sustainability is ensured.

Water Charity has advanced the final funding necessary to allow the project work to begin.

$0.00 - This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts and Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

Any additional donations using the Donate button below will be used to fund other projects by this PCV and/or other PCVs in this country.