Project Launch:

15 de Abril is a small community on the northern coast of Peru where residents live in small adobe homes. The community is considered by the local municipal government to be an at-risk area due to extreme poverty, lack of sanitation and a high prevalence of health problems. Sewer lines were installed a few years ago in the community, but a recent analysis found that 70% of homes were still without bathrooms to connect to the sewer lines. This project will result in the installation of 20 basic bathrooms in households in 15 de Abril, in partnership with the municipality's sanitation staff. Each family receiving a basic bathroom will participate in maintenance and sanitation workshops before and after installation, to ensure continued use, care and maintenance of their new bathrooms and the continued care of the sewer system.

 

Project Update

The 20 participating families have completed educational sessions focused on sanitary and hygienic practices. With the help of the municipality's Basic Sanitation Department workers, 26 bathrooms have been constructed and connected to water and sewer systems, six more than originally planned. All participating families have built some kind of structure to protect their bathroom and some have even added showers. After all the bathrooms were constructed, the community held a party to celebrate the project’s success.

 

Testimonials

"I am very proud of this project and I feel more respected as a leader in the community. As the president of the Management and Development Committee of this community I want to help initiate more projects to better the town. I went to the Participatory Budget meeting to propose a project that could provide us with more community trash cans and help clean up our area. I want to keep planning projects to improve my community because I am proud of my work here." - Blanca, Project Leader

 

"My daughter loves our new toilet! She is always wanting to show it to people and is so excited to use it. We added a shower connection to our bathroom and built a brick wall around both the shower and toilet to protect and maintain them." - Ada, Project Beneficiary