About Lavanderos
Lavanderos is a commuity in the municipality of Guinope. There are about
200 houses with a popoulation of 900 people. Community members in
Granadilla experience a lack of clean water, personal hygiene, sanitation
infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Common colds, skin rashes,
parasites, and diarrheal diseases are common. Few homes have concrete
floors, proper functioning latrines, adequate water storage, or efficient
stoves with chimneys. The closest health center is in Guinope, which is
a two hour walk from Granadilla. It is not consistently staffed nor stocked
with an adequate supply of medicine. School is only offered until 6th grade
in Lavanderos. There are about 80 students and it is approximated that
about 60% of the community knows how to read and write.
Lavanderos' Water Challenge
Lavanderos has a water system built by the government in 1982. The
main problem with Lavanderos' water system is the original design,
improper maintenance, and popoulation growth. There is not enough
water for the community and only about 50% of the community is
connected to the water. It is a gravity based system with a natural spring
as the water source, located one kilometer away from the community.
The chlorine tablets for the tank are expensive and can only be purchased
in Tegucigalpa, which is two hours away. Due to the high water fees
(1630 Lempiras per month per family) and long travel time, the water is not
chlorinated regularly. In addition, water arrives every 8 days, leaving many
families no access to clean water forcing them to turn to nearby streams and ditches, which has caused an increase in gastrointestinal problems.
| Project Overview | |
| Beneficiaries | 900 |
| Volunteers | N/A |
| System Type |
Gravity |
|
Projected Project Cost |
N/A |
| Pipes Needed |
N/A |
| Hours of Education |
N/A |
| Storage Tank Volume |
6,000+ gallons |
| Additional Information |
| General Community Profile |
| Education Profile |
| Water Project Final Report |
| Follow-up Report |
Water System Design in Lavanderos
Given the current population of Lavenderos and noting the previous system design, a long-term goal for Lavanderos would be to expand the entire system. This includes finding a new water source and build a new, larger tank to sufficiently provide water to the houses that do not receive enough water and houses that are not connected to the existing water system. After a new and viable water source is identified, student volunteers will work alongside the Engineering Team and existing Water Council to:
• Test the quantity and quality of the water at the source
• Measure the pipline of the future water system
• Place stakes at 100 meter intervals to mark the future system
• Place stakes outside each household marking their connections to the future system
To ensure the sustainability of the project, the Engineering Team is working very closely with the existing 5-member Water Council as well as establish a new Basic Sanitation Committee to implement educational programs regarding household hygiene and sanitation.
| Engineering Brigades Chapters that Worked in Lavanderos |
||
| Engineering Brigades Chapter | Month | Volunteers |
| Summer Water Internship | July 2012 | 6 |
Current Status
In Progress
The Summer Water Interns performed a community assessment in July 2012. Since then, the Engineering and Water Team has continued visiting Lavanderos to work on logistics, testing, and design.
Visit Other Programs in Lavanderos
Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Lavanderos:
Medical 
Dental 
CHW 
Microfinance 
Water 
Public Health 
Business 
Architecture