Break the Cycle of Poverty

Chimisal is a community easily forgotten. Located in western Honduras, there are no paved roads, phones, electricity, or water systems.

During our April 2007 visit to the village, Chimisal’s lone school teacher said many of the girls cannot attend class regularly because they are helping their mothers carry water. Even for those children who can attend school, life without safe water or latrines means they are subjected to repeated bouts of diarrhea which have a significant impact on their mental and physical development.

Yolanda, age 7, is one of those children.

With your help, Yolanda and her entire community can have safe water and latrines at their homes. Safe water means that Yolanda’s mother can spend her time in more productive activities than carrying water, and Yolanda will be healthier. Convenient access to safe water also means that Yolanda can go to school.

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 94% of diarrheal cases can be prevented by increasing the availability of clean water and toilets and improved hygienic practices.

With a safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education project in Chimisal, not only are we impacting the greatest cause of illness in the community, we are putting opportunity directly into people's hands.

Your Gift of Health and Dignity

Sanchita lives in Akshaynagar with her husband and three young girls. Her husband makes a living as a day-laborer three to four months out of the year, earning about $1.50 a day. In 2007, with the help of our Indian partner organization, Sanchita’s family built a latrine. This was the first time any of her family members had ever used a latrine.

Using a safe, clean toilet is something we take for granted. But for over 700 million people in India, not having a toilet is a major killer. Surviving diarrhea is the single largest hurdle facing children under the age of five here.

Water 1st projects provide convenient access to safe water and toilets and also include hygiene education. This integrated approach provides many benefits, from time-savings to improved health to fewer missed days at work or school. The UN estimates that the economic return of these benefits is roughly $10 for every $1 spent.

There are also benefits we cannot measure, but we know are enormously valued by the people we serve – such as privacy and dignity. Sanchita confirmed this during our last visit. “Before we had a latrine, I was embarrassed to defecate in the open fields. Sometimes the land-owners would yell at me, but I had no choice. My family didn’t have a latrine. What could I do?” Now, the latrine is a source of pride for the entire family.

Thank you for your generous donations: Safe Water Saves Lives