Programs / Water / Communities / Palo Verde «

 

About Palo Verde

Palo Verde is a rural community in the mountains of the municipality of

Cantarranas.  It is a "Caserio" of El Zurzular, a community where

Global Brigades has implemented its holistic development model and

continues to do Medical Brigades.  A caserio is a group of houses

located near a larger community or town.  Compared to the town they

pertain to, caserios do not typically have the same level of access to

services such as healthcare, education, transportation, etc.  Palo Verde

is located at a very high elevation and is often literally in the clouds.

 

People in Palo Verde suffer from lack of proper water, hygiene and

sanitation infrastructure, healthcare, and education.  Few homes have

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

efficient stoves with chimneys.  The closest health center is also in the

town of El Zurzular, which can be up to a two hour walk away.  Some

homes have benefited by a recent solar panel project providing them

with electricity.  School is offered until 6th grade and many children

begin to work in agriculture after completing school to help support

their families.  Children in Palo Verde who choose to continue with

their education have access to secondary school in El Zurzular.  The

main income source fr community members in Palo Verde is agriculture

with coffee, beans, and corn being the most common crops.  Through

the sale of these crops, families garner roughly 1,600 Lempiras ($80.00)

per month.

 

Palo Verde's Water Challenge

Palo Verde did not have a water system.  Some community members obtained water by connecting hoses to small, contaminated water sources.  Others, namely women and children, walked to nearby water sources and lugged buckets of water to their homes.  The type of water source (spring, stream, puddle, hand well) and distance to the source varied depending on the season as many sources dry up during the dry season.  Thus, practicing proper sanitation and hygiene was difficult for community members due to a low quantity of water in their homes.  Furthermore, there was no central way for the community members to treat their water.  After discussions with community members, it appeared that very few people treat their water in their homes.  Those who treated their water typically used chlorine or boiled their water.

 

As a small caserio, Palo Verde received little attention from the local government of San Juan de Flores.  After Water Brigade's first visit to the community it was clear that neither the government nor any other organization had any pending plans to address the water problem in Palo Verde.  The community did not have a Water Council nor a Basic Sanitation Committee and members did not pay any fee for their water.

 

The Water Solution for Palo Verde

Water Brigaders from nine different universities worked in Palo Verde in

March 2012.  During that time, these volunteers worked with community

members to:
     •  Construct a new dam and raise a fence to protect it
     •  Construct a 5,000 gallon tank with chlorinator
     •  Dig 7,688 meters of trench and install pipeline
     •  Connect 30 houses and 1 school to the system
     •  Supply each house with a water storage bucket
     •  Provide educational seminars to children in the community

        on waterand health related topics

                                                                             

 

To ensure the sustainability of the project, a new nine member Water Council  and a Basic Sanitation Committee were established and trained by Water Brigades. Two community plumbers were also identified and trained to maintain the new system.

The community of Palo Verde greatly enjoyed working alongside student volunteers to construct their water system. There was significant community participation  throughout the process. In addition to the

thirty families that earned their connection through their work  on the project, ten families and young adults volunteered in order to secure a connection when they move to their own homes in the future. Such forward thinking ensures that they will have access to clean water when they marry in the coming years.

                                                                                           

 

Water Brigades Chapters that Worked in Palo Verde
Water Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers
Penn State	March 2012	25
Texas A&M	March 2012	11
University of Arizona	March 2012	12
UC Davis	March 2012	13
Washington University in St. Louis	March 2012	10
Indiana University	March 2012	9
UNC Chapel Hill	March 2012	8
University of Southern California	March 2012	8
Northwestern University	March 2012	7

 

 

Current Status

Last Visit: July 31, 2014
Global Brigades' summer interns and the Water Team traveled to Palo Verde on July 31, 2014. They discovered that they system is only need a few slight repairs. However, they also discovered that the Water Council is no longer fulfilling its obligations. They are not chlorinating the water, most likely to protect their coffee beans. They are not charging the obligatory water fee either. Thus, there is no money for needed repairs to the system.

 

Visit Other Programs in Palo Verde

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 Palo Verde:

 

MedicalDentalEngineering MicrofinancePublic HealthBusinessArchitectureCHW