IN THEIR OWN WORDS: BRINGING WATER HOME

In July of 2020, a well was drilled. Partnering with El Porvenir and with financial assistance provided by Providence United Methodist Church, community members in San Martín, El Sauce are nearing the completion of a project years in the making.

After months of planning and hard work, the lives of 278 people in San Martín are about to change forever. The electric pump water system, when completed, will provide water to 73 families.

These are the voices of the community who benefit from El Porvenir’s donors’ generosity.

“Water at our homes is important so we don’t suffer hauling water long distances or consume contaminated water. Water is life and health. I have lived here 20 years; we had been consuming well water, and we did not know if it was good or not. We thank God and the donors for helping us to have water in our houses—above all because it is safe water.” — Sayda Eugarrios

“We are eager to have clean water and looked for a solution for a while. We are finally going to have water. The community is busy working and excited. The pumphouse is almost complete, the main pipe is in place, the storage tank is in process, and we’re working on the taps at each home. This project is important because drought continues to hit us more in the dry season and so that we don't keep getting sick from drinking dirty water.” — Santos Isabel Bucardo Quirós

“This project is important because we are going to drink clean water; it will not be water like we drank before. We have been drinking this water from a hand-dug well, without chlorination, for almost 65 years, for as long as I can remember. Now we are going to drink clean water. It is important to have safe water in our houses for our health. With this water system, we will not get sick, and the children will grow up better.” — Cesar Augusto Bucardo

"Thank God this drinking water project is happening because we are no longer going to be drinking contaminated water. We thank God first, then the donors, the community, and El Porvenir for supporting us in these projects that are very important for our people." — José Santos Murillo Valverde.

DOUBLE THE IMPACT

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Please take a look at the clickable button to the right.

This button has power: the power to save lives in rural Nicaragua.

Click it and see what can happen. The possibilities, while not precisely endless, reach far into the future. This button can not only change lives today but for generations that follow. This button can make an impact on the world.

Our friends at One Day's Wages have pledged to match our donors' gifts, dollar for dollar, and the overall impact on the community of Posoli will be incredible. By partnering with One Day's Wages for this campaign, El Porvenir can reach a broader audience and benefit from the charity doubling your donation.

Your donation to El Porvenir sends waves of positive results for the generations that follow. While the impact is almost immediate, the effect on the cause of matched gifts, like those given through One Day's Wages right now, grow over the years.

The results from other projects show the impact, such as the changes seen in the Monte Grande community in Terrabona, where not very long ago, mothers, grandmothers, and children walked miles for usable water each day and struggled with unsanitary bathroom conditions. Now, after the generosity of our donors, the families of Monte Grande have water close by, and homes have safe latrines. Local reforestation efforts mean less rain run-off and abundant fuel for their new efficient home stoves. Children can now go to school clean, well-fed, healthy, and ready for the challenges of their futures without the worry of water or the lack thereof.

As longtime El Porvenir friend Timm Dobbins shared about a work trip to Nicaragua, "I will always remember a 10-year-old girl telling me she got to go to school for the first time since her village now had a well, which freed her from day-long trips to the river to get water."

Like many El Porvenir donors, Timm recognizes his financial gifts mean easing a burden for a community. And when your donation will be doubled, then there's all the more reason to give now and not only give two times the gift but double the ultimate impact for families in a community so deserving as Posoli.

And that button right here? Just click it.

MOTHERS MAKE A MIGHTY DIFFERENCE

When reading most of the inspirational stories about "Life in Nicaragua," there's a noticeable trend among many: mothers.

Mothers play critical roles in just about every El Porvenir project and their personal tales of accomplishment lay the groundwork of El Porvenir’s successful 30 years. If mothers are not smack dab in the middle of a project, they were either its impetus or its instigator. No matter the "why" projects move from initial idea to ultimate completion; these mothers are the "who" benefitting most from El Porvenir's ventures in rural Nicaragua.

Ivania del Socorro Hernández Miranda was tired of walking for water. "All our lives, we had problems getting water," says the mother of four. "It took us up to three hours to fill our buckets." For over 30 years, Ivania waited for water, and finally, the citizens of El Hatillo came together to fulfill the dream of clean, safe water for their community. "To see water coming out of our tap was so emotional," says Ivania. "I wanted to cry." With clean water only a few steps from her home, she's appreciative of El Porvenir's donors for their support in her children having healthier lives.

Rosa Solís and her family had no latrine. With small three children, the Los Calpules, Terrabona mother feared taking her sons to the bathroom after dark every night. "I had to take them out beyond the house in the dark. It was dangerous; a snake or any other animal could have hurt us," she says. "It was a horrible situation." Rosa did what she had to do for her family. Community members rallied together so every home could have its own bathroom facility, and with El Porvenir's assistance, Rosa and her family built their own latrine. "I feel happy because, for the first time, we have this change in our family. We now have privacy and security when taking care of our needs."

And we can't forget mothers that proudly work to make changes for other mothers every day, like El Porvenir's very own Sonia Reyes. As a health educator in El Sauce, she has seen many positive changes in the communities she works with. Sonia empowers other mothers with knowledge that continues to grow and flow from generation to generation. Sonia's drive to work hard for others comes from her love of family and home. "Every day, I open my eyes and see my son and my mother. They motivate me; they are the engine that makes me get up and keep going," Sonia says.

These three women are only a tiny sample of the countless mothers El Porvenir proudly recognizes as a powerful force for positive change and making a difference across rural Nicaragua. Because of these wonderful women that care for their children and their communities, thousands upon thousands of families can find hope and security in water, sanitation, and health as never before.

To all the women that make differences in lives every day: Happy Mother's Day! ¡Feliz día de la madre!