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About Casillas

Casillas is a commuity in the municipality of Talanga.  There are about

70 houses with a popoulation of 300 people.  Community members in

Casillas 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 Talanga, which is

about an hour and a half walk from Casillas. It is not consistently staffed nor

stocked with an adequate supply of medicine.  School is only offered until 6th

grade in Casillas.  There are 54 students who attend school until 6th grade and

about 60% of the graduating class attend secondary school, which is about

a 45-minute bicycle ride from Casillas.

Casillas' Water Challenge

Casillas does not currently have a water system that meets the needs of the

population. The system that previously supplied water to the community

stopped working in 2011 due to a partial collapse. This was due in part to

the drying up of the well from

which water was pumped to a

15,000 gallon tank. Since then,

the community has not been able

to find another watersource or a way to finance a new water system.

As a result, they are forced to carry water daily from a river a few kilometers away. The water carried from the river is used for consumption and other household uses. However, because it is untreated it increases the risk of gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, and parasites. The other hygienic and sanitary conditions in Casillas are also quite low. Respiratory illnesses and dermatitis are prevalent.

The Water Solution for Casillas

On July 28, 2015, Global Water Brigades signed a construction agreement with the Community of Casillas and the Mayor’s Office of Talanga. The agreement provides for the construction of a gravity-based system, which will be supplied by a natural water source located 5.2 kilometers from Casillas. The project has already started with the construction of a collection dam funded by the Mayor’s office and the community. The next step is to build a filter to eliminate the entrance of sand and sediment into the water system. Then, Global Water Brigades will build the conduction line of approximately 5.2 kilometers which will direct the water from the dam to a new 5,000 gallon water storage tank to be built with funds from the Mayor’s office. This smaller tank will provide water to 15 houses located in high points in the community. The water will then flow to the existing 15,000-gallon tank, which will distribute water to the remaining 72 homes in the community.

Current Status

On September 7, 2015 Cal Poly Pomona, London School of Economics, and Imperial College all started work on the conduction lines in Casillas. The local governement of caillas will still needs to build a 5,000 gallon tank, and global brigades staff along with community members will finish conduction lines, fix the 10,000 gallon cistern, and finalize the faucet installation by the end of Novemeber 2015. 

Visit Other Programs in Casillas

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 Casillas:

 Medical Dental   CHW Engineering Microfinance Public Health  Business