Water for Humans Programs
Water for Humans is working with the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, to address its water and sanitation requirements in communities of need. We are partnered with a Oaxaca based NGO (Instituto de la Naturaleza y la Sociedad de Oaxaca-INSO), The Hunger Project-Mexico, Tabasco based Tecnologia de Pantanos Artificiales and World Water Partners to implement our programs.
We worked with The Hunger Project - Mexico to install two urine diverting dry toilets, two efficient cooking stoves and one residential rain water harvesting system as a pilot project in Piedra de la Luz (in the rural Mazateca region in the northern mountains of Oaxaca). We will continue to work with The Hunger Project to make sure the pilot project is successful and follow up with workshops to 'teach the teachers' about the installation and operation of the new technology.
We are building eight household rain-harvesting systems in Ahuja Bravo, within Oaxaca City. These 8,000 gallon cistern systems will help supply year round water for eight families that run out of water every year during the dry season.
We are working with the Finance Minister of Oaxaca to evaluate a number of Executive Projects, developed by the State Water Commission, to determine their economic and environmental sustainability.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
School Water Filter at Santo Domingo Barrio Bajo Etla
This project helped over 200 children have clean, safe drinking water at the elementary school in Santo Domingo Barrio Bajo Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico. The school used to purchase bottled water for the children, because the municipal water is not safe to drink. With the installation of this system the school now redirects those funds to purchase school materials.
Secure funding to complete rain harvesting project in Oaxaca City Suzanna Vazquez, a community activist in the Victor Bravo Ahuja district of Oaxaca City, asked for our help in solving her neighborhood’s chronic water shortages. She wrote: “Due to population growth, during the dry season most residences receive water only two times per week for a few hours per day and the water is not potable.” We plan to build 8,000-gallon rainwater catchment systems in 8 homes. In the first phase, we are completing the roof modifications, building the first flush diverters and constructing sand filters which will ensure clean water is delivered to the cisterns (yet to be built). The total project cost is $32,000 (USD) for the 8 households. We would like our contribution to be $6,000 (USD).