World Water Day - "Water is Life"

Today is World Water Day, an initiative that came out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro recognizing the critical role that water plays in peoples' lives.


Mano a Mano has been working in partnership with local Bolivian communities since 2005 on water projects. Water is critical; as the communities always tell us "water is life." One of our current water projects is constructing a large-scale agricultural water reservoir in Sancayani, Bolivia.


THE NEED
Over 3,000,000 of Bolivia’s 9,000,000 citizens live in rural areas. The vast majority of rural residents eke out a meager living as subsistence farmers, raising crops and a few domestic animals on one – two acre plots, and earning an average income of $200 - $300 yearly: less than $1.00 per day. The Cochabamba Valley essentially has two climatic seasons: a warm, rainy season during which rain falls nearly every day for three to four months, and a cooler dry season during the remaining months when moisture rarely falls. Lack of water during most of the year results in widespread failure of crops to mature and substantially reduces yields. In contrast, during seasons of heavy rains fields flood, washing away germinating seeds and spouting plants. Together, these problematic circumstances result in failure to meet the nutritional needs of the local farm families and make it nearly impossible for them to improve their standard of living.


Beginning in 1950, Sancayani farmers attempted to use their picks and shovels to dig a channel along the side of their mountain, hoping to direct spring water and snow melt to the land they cultivated, and thus increase their crop yields. Unfortunately, the area closest to them was filled with rock which they could not penetrate with hand tools. After numerous failures and a nearly disastrous landslide, they concluded that lack of engineering expertise and heavy machinery that could safely dig and stabilize the terrain would force them to abandon their dream of having sufficient water to raise crops to feed their families and sell produce in urban markets. Their Valle Alto neighbors told Mano a Mano staff that they had been trying for fifteen years to find a means to channel the abundant, high mountain spring water into the river so they could have water during the dry season. When these subsistence farmers heard that Mano a Mano had begun to build water reservoirs, they approached staff of Mano a Mano with a plea for help in constructing a reservoir. “Water is life”, they said.  “Without water we cannot live”.  


CONSTRUCTION
Sancayani is our largest reservoir project to date; when complete it will provide water for crops and livestock to 3,500-4,000 Bolivian families! This has been a very challenging project. The location is nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, with constant fog, mud, and sub-freezing temperatures. Our staff and 15-20 community members have been working for more than a year, with the reservoir scheduled for completion later this year.

Mano a Mano heavy equipment working on the channel to transport water to the reservoir

Chunavi Clinic

Mano a Mano is currently constructing a clinic in Chunavi, a small community north of La Paz, nestled more than 13,000 above sea level in some of the tallest mountains in South America.

Site for the clinic; Andes mountains in the background

As with all of our projects, the community signs an agreement with Mano a Mano detailing everyone's roles and responsibilities. The model we have used has resulted in 119 completed health clinics throughout Bolivia, with 108 financially independent of Mano a Mano.

Mano a Mano Bolivia's Executive Director Jose Velasquez meeting with community leaders

In addition to Mano a Mano's master builders, two master builders from the community were hired and will work alongside our staff and local volunteers. A typical clinic project takes around 2-3 months to complete

New Road Project in Bolivia

Mano a Mano is currently constructing a road that will connect the communities of Canon Verde and El Palmar in the department of Chuquisaca, Bolivia. Roads in Bolivia are either nonexistent or little more than flattened dirt paths, making travel difficult, slow, and often dangerous.

Typical mountain road in Bolivia

Roads are vital in improving the lives of these communities,

Emergency Air Rescues in 2010

One of Mano a Mano's core programs in Bolivia is its aviation program. This is a critical component of our work due to the unique challenges of traveling in Bolivia. Bolivia has a very minimal road network. Only one two-lane roads connects the country’s capital to other major cities; tropical regions have almost no roads. Rivers connect some tropical settlements but their width, rapid current, and large amount of debris present danger to even the most experienced boaters. Small aircraft transport has become the mode of choice for reaching into these areas.

Goals of Mano a Mano aviation program:

The Mano a Mano Model

One of the main things that differentiates Mano a Mano is the model that we use. Here we'll briefly walk through the entire process for building a rural health clinic, although the model is very similar for all of our projects.

First, the community in Bolivia approaches us to request a project. This is a huge point; the local community is the driver of the process, Mano a Mano does not pick locations or projects itself. The community goes to our office in Cochabamba to request whatever project they have decided is most important, from a clinic to a school to community bathrooms, and are put on the waiting list until funds are available. When there is funding, Mano a Mano meets with the community and local leaders to sign an agreement detailing everyone's responsibilities: