• Project and funding proposals
• Assessment of the water and sanitation programmes carried out in the region
COMENSA
COMENSA is SAFAD’s partner organisation, based in the Ixil region of Guatemala. COMENSA provides a base for volunteers and a connection with local communities, local government organisations and other NGO’s in Guatemala. COMENSA also organises the project programme and helps projects transition smoothly between volunteers.
Type of Work
Since the peace accord, COMENSA has grown from an emergency water provider to a development organisation with a long-term strategy in the Nebaj municipality. As a result there has been a change in the way SAFAD volunteers work in Guatemala. A gravity fed water project was completed in the aldea (village) Batsumal Uno in 1992. This emergency supply consisted of a spring protection, tubing, a plastic water tank of 2.5m3, 8 taps and 3 lavaderos(clothes washing points) for a village of 45 houses.
In 1999 the same village project was redesigned with a 20-year growth and now included a lavaderos and a spare 2"exit for future houses.The individual water systems are owned and built by the people of the village, and are the responsibility of an elected committee: the ‘Comite’. All shared resources and structures are owned communally as well as a bank account to assist with future expansion and problems. During the construction phase 2-3 villagers are trained in simple maintenance procedures such as cleaning, fixing broken pipes and leaking taps.
Other related activities
While a community is building a water system there are health promotion programs in the village. An expert in indigenous herbal medicines promotes community awareness of hygiene and sanitation . There are special singing classes with the school children to encourage hand washing. To help with health facilities a lavamano (hand washing point) is built at the school. Eye examinations are also conducted and free Glasses provided.
Co-operation with other NGOS and communities
SAFAD’s work in Guatemala is not limited to the Ixil region. The volunteers often provide technical support to other local organisations. In co-operation with the Association Maya de Desarollo, female SAFAD engineers have designed a development plan aiming to provide working taps and VIP latrines at every house in 5 related villages. The association is a co-operative between the women of the 5 villages, which produce woven clothing for export markets and increases village revenue. The association is run by an all female ‘Junta Directiva’ but the water projects must also be accepted by the male village ‘Comite’ who will have to do a lot of the work.In Chimeltenango Province volunteers provide technical water engineering skills for PAVA. PAVA is a Guatemalan self-help NGO that helps an aldea to build schools, water systems, health clinics or what ever may be their choosing. The work has included tank designs, entire village designs and hydraulics and surveying training.
Written by Lisa Rudge, Guatemala Water Project Appraisal Officer
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