Programs / Water / Communities / Pajarillos «

 

About Pajarillos

Pajarillos is a mountainous community with a population of 600 people in

the municipality of San Juan de Flores.  Prior to Global Brigades' arrival,

people in Pajarillos suffered from a lack of proper water, hygiene and

sanitation infrastructure, healthcare, and education.  Few homes had

concrete floors, properly functioning latrines, proper water storage, or

efficient stoves with chimneys.  thus, chagas disease, respiratory

infections, and colds were common.  In Pajarillos, school is offered until

6th grade.  Afterwards, most children begin to work in agriculture to

support their families.  The closest health center is over an hour walk

away.  The average family income is estimated to be 2,000 Lempiras

per month, which is about $100.00.

 

Pajarillos' Water Challenge

The community of Pajarillos in San Juan de Flores relied on a potable

water system that was not adequate for its needs.  The existing system

in Pajarillos, built in 1985, was only designed and originally constructed

for a portion of the houses that now exist in the community.  Year round,

houses could go up to 3 to 4 days without water, and up to weeks during

the dry season.  During the dry season, people received as little as an

average of 2 gallons per person per day.  Illnesses related to water and

poor sanitation were common.  The water was occasionally treated when

community leaders had the funds to purchase the chlorine.  However, the people were not paying the water fee and the lack of a complete water council made it difficult to purchase chlorine.  As a very under resourced community, Pajarillos did not have the funds to improve their existing system, or to consider constructing a new system.  The community had previously solicited support from government organizations without receiving any help.  Water Brigades came to an agreement with the community of Pajarillos to assist in the reconstruction of their potable water system.

 

 

The Water Solution for Pajarillos

Water Brigaders from nine different universities worked in Pajarillos

from January to March 2010.  During that time, these volunteers worked with community members to:
     •  Construct a new dam with a spillway and intake infrastructure
     •  Build a new conduction line
     •  Install all cleaning, air release, and control valves
     •  Repair storage tanks and chlorinator
     •  Redesign and build entire distribution network
     •  Provide educational seminars to children in the community on

        water and health related topics

 

To ensure the sustainability of the project, a new seven member Water Council was established and trained by Water Brigades in addition to a Basic Sanitation Committee also trained by Water Brigades.

 

When Water Brigades first entered the community of Pajarillos in January 2010, a dire need water was observed. Furthermore, the community lacked strong leadership and organization. The biggest challenge of the project in Pajarillos,  and perhaps the biggest success, was working with and eventually seeing the change in community organization and buy-in to the water project.

                                                                                             

 

 

Water Brigades Chapters that Worked in Pajarillos
Water Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers
University of Southern California	January 2010	17
Boston University	January 2010	9
University of Virginia	January 2010	12
Columbia University	January 2010	7
San Diego State University	January 2010	13
University of California Berkeley	January 2010	11
University of Victoria	February 2010	9
Indiana University	March 2010	15
UNC Chapel Hill	March 2010	15
University of Pennsylvania	March 2010	4
University of Delaware	March 2010	17
University of Southern California	March 2010	9
UC San Diego	March 2010	15
Northwestern University	March 2010	15
New York University	March 2010	10
Santa Clara University	March 2010	3

 

Current Status

Last Visit: July 10, 2014

On July 10, the Water Team and several Sustainable Development interns traveled to Pajarillos. They met with the plumber to assess the system. It is functioning properly and the majority of the community is paying their water fee in a timely manner. Chlorine levels at the houses were low, however, and the Water Team recommended increasing the drip-rate to ensure that the water is safe for human consumption.

 

Project Photos

 

 

Visit Other Programs in Pajarillos

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 Pajarillos:

 Medical Dental  CHW  Engineering  Microfinance Public Health  Business Architecture