FINANCIALS
We are grateful to all of our donors! We are a transparent organization and will provide more detailed financial information upon request. We are an efficient nonprofit; 82 cents of every dollar you give goes directly to our program work in Nicaragua.
FINANCIALS
We are grateful to all of our donors! We are a transparent organization and will provide more detailed financial information upon request. We are an efficient nonprofit; 82 cents of every dollar you give goes directly to our program work in Nicaragua.
PROGRAMS
IMPACT
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Improve the quality of life of people and families in Nicaragua through lower incidences of water and sanitation-related diseases and mortality
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Reduce environmental contamination caused by poor sanitation
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Improve productivity and educational opportunity for women and children by freeing time previously spent carrying water
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Improve people's quality of life through basic human dignity
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Protect the water tables the water projects draw from
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Improve water quality and quantity
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Restore stream flow, critical habitat, and productive agriculture
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Teach people about co-existing with their local environment and how to use existing resources sustainably
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Improve the quality of women and children's lives and health through the construction of improved stoves that remove hazardous smoke from the kitchens
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Educate community members about the connection between hygiene, water, sanitation, and disease
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Train network of community-based hygiene promoters to reinforce hygiene concepts on an ongoing basis
WATER
Where we work, community members obtain their drinking water from shallow, unlined, and uncovered hand-dug wells or open springs that often far from their homes. We work with community members who ask for our support on the following types of water projects: hand-dug wells, drilled wells, gravity flow water systems, spring capture systems, electric pump water systems, water filters, and water quality testing.
SANITATION
Only 37% of rural Nicaraguans have safe sanitation facilities. We work with rural Nicaraguans to build home, school, and health post double pit latrines; home, school, and health post pour flush toilets; and school hand washing stations.
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Latrines and toilets: This system is sustainable as users can cycle through the two ventilated pits. By the time one is full, the second one is safe to empty out. In areas with enough water access, we also partner with communities to build pour flush latrines with basic septic.
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School hand washing stations: Children who attend schools with latrines and hand washing stations are 20-30% less likely to miss school than children who attend schools without these amenities (CARE). In each schoolyard, the hand washing station is situated between classrooms and the latrines so students see it and remember the importance of washing their hands. The station is equipped with running water and soap.
WATERSHED RESTORATION
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Micro-watershed restoration: Community members plant tree nurseries and then strategically transplant the seedlings to places where the trees will grow. Our reforestation workers follow up to ensure survival of the seedlings, teaching community members how to collect and store seeds for next year's nursery planting.
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Watershed restoration: Community members learn about agroforestry, intentionally integrating trees with livestock and crops to create a sustainable land-use system. By doing this, they rejuvenate damaged cropland and pastureland while restoring stream flow, increasing rainwater absorption, recharging groundwater sources, and reducing soil erosion.
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Fuel-efficient, vented stoves: Indoor air pollution by traditional, smoky, wood-burning stoves is as detrimental to health as smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Families that have been active in their local reforestation program are eligible to construct fuel-efficient stoves in their homes, which use 60% less firewood and eliminate indoor smoke.
HEALTH EDUCATION
This is the key to our success; through this program, community members learn how to reduce water and sanitation-related illness through good hygiene practices. Our Health Educators teach communities how to maintain their projects through community workshops and household visits. They also identify and train local hygiene and health promoters and ensure a trained Potable Water Committee (CAPS) has been formed. The CAPS is responsible for organizing ongoing proejct use, care, and maintenance.
IMPACT THROUGH EVIDENCE
We are a learning organization and believe in evidence-based work. To that end, we carry out periodic evaluations as one part of our monitoring and evaluation program. We use the results to let us know what's working and where we need to adapt responses. We also believe in transparency, so below are a few of the evaluations that have been carried out by third parties. COVID has made it challenging to have third-party evaluations, but we hope to have more recent evaluations in the coming year.