• Domaine :

  Water

• Région :

  Central America

• Pays :

  Guatemala

The project:

At the San Ramon School in El Asintal, Guatemala, drilling a well and installing a hand pump.
The project will have a total cost of $ 39,000 and will provide drinking water to 174 beneficiaries.
The success we have achieved with our last two projects in Guatemala leads us to believe that you will support us again in our new water supply project for 2018.

The request:

From: Montérégie Solidarity (SMAC)
  To: Foundation Coup de Coeur
      And The Montreal Rotary Club

Hello Jean and Fatima,

First of all, I want to thank you sincerely for the financial support you have given us over the past two years.
Access to drinking water for children in Guatemala is our main line of work, having noted the health problems caused by a lack of access to this essential ressource.
The project involves drilling a tubular well to ensure the safe and sustainable supply of water for the San Ramon School in El Asintal, one of the poorest municipalities in Retalhuleu. The school currently has a surface well but can not provide enough water during the dry season. Children must then buy or bring water from the house when available. This critical situation leads us to prioritize this small school that has always maintained the facilities that it
have been provided.
In addition, the surface well currently in use is highly contaminated, causing gastric and intestinal diseases, which affect the health and learning of children. 
To ensure the sustainability of the project, it will be accompanied by educational activities with parents, children and teachers on topics such as environment, water conservation and community development. A monitoring committee is formed each year to monitor the state of the facilities.
The project will take place between May and September 2018.
The beneficiaries:
106 children, 60 parents and 8 teachers will have stable drinking water. Families will no longer have to buy bottled water for children at school; they will have fewer costs and disadvantages related to gastrointestinal diseases. We can hope for an improvement in school attendance and learning for children. In times of drought, the beneficiaries will be more numerous because the school will be able to help families lacking water. In the long term, depending on the performance and resources in the community, the school could contribute to community drinking water supply.
The partners:
The project will be carried out under the coordination of our Guatemalan partner, the Integral Development Association (ADI) whose head office is located in Coatepeque. ADI is the field partner who has coordinated and realized all of our projects since 1998.
The project will also be carried out with the active participation of the community and municipal authorities, Ministry of Health, parents and other community members involved in the school project. The municipality has committed in advance to participate financially in phase 2 which consists of the commissioning of the well after perforation (equipment and installation). The school authorities have agreed to pay for the installation and additional electrical costs.
Budget:
The total project budget for the well is $ 39,000. We received $ 20,000 from the Louise Grenier Foundation but we still have a $ 5,000 shortfall that we have just asked for.
Follow up:
Financial and narrative reports are sent to us at the end of the project and telephone and email communications will be maintained throughout the project. In addition, SMAC conducts an annual field trip to follow up on project. We are able to see the actual implementation of the project and we see how the school takes care of the facilities provided in previous years.

Monique Messier,
Treasurer,
Project Committee respondent.
SMAC



Financial contributions: