WomanSpirit 2001 - As the River We Flow

BELIZE WATER PROJECT UPDATE!

Women's Water Fund update
May, 2002
Mark Miller, Plenty Belize volunteer

I have had the very rewarding opportunity to organize the fieldwork for this project, which is taking place in the Toledo District of Belize. The project is made up of at least three distinct parts.

1. Laguna

Laguna is a Kek'chi Maya village. Laguna school has 91 students, from what they call Infant I to Standard 6 -- more or less K-8. Laguna School is a member of the School Feeding program in the Toledo District, the purpose of which is to feed targeted undernourished students one good meal a day to enable them to concentrate at school. Normally, they provide lunch for about 35 kids, 2 days per week. Since the hurricane last October, they have been feeding all the kids in the school who wish to eat at school. The cooks are all volunteers from the community. They have been in the SFP program since its launch in 1999, and their principal Joan Palma has been the coordinator from that time until just recently.

Previously, the teachers, students, and cooks had to haul water by bucket from the nearest hand pump, which is well over 100 yards from the kitchen. The school kitchen at Laguna had a sink with a broken faucet, connected to a broken water vat system. After discussion with the Laguna Water Board, we decided to construct a cement platform alongside the school kitchen, install gutter along the roof, and connect this to the kitchen sink with a new faucet. These items have been completed, with the workers of the Laguna Water Board being paid a stipend of BZ$10 per day ($5. US), from project funds, about half the standard pay rate, for some very heavy labor. Their interest in this project and their support for the school is shown by their willingness to volunteer some of their time on this project. (The cooks in the SFP are all volunteer). The work of the water board required thus far has included 20 man/days for building the concrete platform, and 6 man/days for installing gutter and piping into the kitchen. I have worked in Laguna on at least 5 days, and spent considerable time in town procuring supplies for this project. My estimated time on this project is currently 45 hours.

I obtained a hole saw to cut a circular hole near the top of the plastic 2500-liter tank, to act as an overflow, in times of excess rain. The overflow from the tank was installed and connected to the drain line from the sink. This drain line will be extended underground to an area next to the school garden, where water can be collected in (yet to be obtained) drums, allowing this greywater to be used to water the garden. A pipeline from a spring was also connected to the tank, to allow the tank to be filled using a pump at the spring during dry periods.

We also have discussed setting up another tank on another cement platform next to the school, to allow the teachers and student to have water available at the school for washing/cleaning.

2. San Pedro Columbia

San Pedro Columbia is also a Kek'chi Maya village. The school kitchen at SPC has running water inside. They owned a broken sink basin, and had no drain system in place. I have obtained the parts and repaired the sink basin. After consultations with Ms. Tina Romero, the school principal, we decided to build a sink stand, repair and install the sink, and install a drain line through the concrete wall, and underground down to the drain new the road, about 50 feet away. We also discussed adding a ditch behind the kitchen to drain water away from the kitchen during times of heavy rain, when the kitchen gets flooded. We have discussed that the light work, such as building a sink stand, will need to be done without a stipend, to show interest in the project and support for the school. However, the heavy digging needed to run the drain lines underground and dig the ditch will require some stipend. This work should be finished by mid-June.

3. Barranco

The Garifuna village of Barranco is situated on the ocean south of the district's main town of Punta Gorda.. Until a few years ago it was only really accessible by launch. Now there is a semi-decent dirt roads that can handle bus and vehicle traffic. There is no water in the school kitchen at Barranco. They have to walk at least 100 yards to the vat by the teacher's hut for all their water. But there is a perfectly good (we think) concrete vat just adjacent to the kitchen in the old school building. The vat is on the ground so it needs an energy source to get the water into the kitchen, and it also needs a water source -- the roof of the building is made of asbestos, making it unusable as a water collection area. They are proposing a small zinc-roofed shelter beside the vat, to collect rain water. A site visit and consultation is needed to plan building a small pavilion that rainwater can be collected from, the rest of the rainwater collection system, and piping to the kitchen. I am looking to do the work at Barranco over the summer -- n July and first half of August prior to the new school year.

4. Other ideas

In addition to the work at these three villages, the biggest water problem in the rural areas is actually poor latrines, which contributes to illness. I would like to do a demonstration composting toilet in one of the villages, but would need the agreement of the Women's group to utilize some of the remaining funding in this way.

Sent by: Melanie Reimer
Country Coordinator
Plenty International Belize

"In all fairness, there is plenty to go around for everyone."

PICTURES and MORE at Plenty's website: http://www.plenty.org/pb18_1/watersys181.html