The Water1st approach has a high return. The project in Doña Lidia’s community more than paid for itself in just one year based on time-savings alone.

In communities without water in the region where we work in Honduras, 40% of adults have not completed a 3rd grade education. In San Pedrito, 100% of school age children are where they should be, in school. The importance of making time available for female education cannot be emphasized enough. It has important benefits for society as a whole. Female literacy rates increase, giving women better skills for obtaining and evaluating information. Women have time to earn an income, giving them more power in the household. These changes are passed on, as educated women are more likely to prioritize education for their children.

Water1st believes in rigorous monitoring—we follow up to guarantee that our projects are functioning as planned, that they are meeting our standards. We measure the quality of the service our projects provide: how much water are people using, is the water safe to drink, are repairs made quickly, are water fees paid on time? We also value improved quality of life: things like privacy, cleanliness, and dignity, which sometimes only the users themselves can measure.

Doña Lidia has a kitchen garden to provide vegetables for her family. Her neighbor started a sewing business, and another neighbor opened a small store selling household items. On our last visit to San Pedrito, Doña Lidia recalled what life was like before there was running water at her home, including the impossible choices she had to make each morning as a mother with young children. Do I leave my 3 year home alone while I go fetch water?