GlobalGiving.org: Grow Clean Food & Harvest Water in Rural Oaxaca

New compost toilets built

Natalie Eidi — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:59:48 GMT

The amounts donated by GlobalGiving was used to cover the cost of material and installation of 2 dry compost toilet seats, and rooftops of the compost toilets of Don Tino and Doña Juanita from EJUTLA, Oaxaca.

The rest of the project to now was financed by other donors, to help cover the materials for the earth/recycled (or UPcycled) walls and interiors. We used glass soda bottles, and plastic soda containers, local earth, hay and stones as well as cactus ferment and calcium.

Participatory Diagnosis of Local Needs

Carolina Lukac — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:16:24 GMT

Participatory diagnosis visits with local families

As part of our methodology of valuing felt needs as opposed to mere charity, we have undertaken an extensive participatory diagnosis of the local community surrounding the Tonantzin Tlalli Insitute in Ejutla, Oaxaca. The purpose of this action is to evaluate the needs, living conditions, capacities, and natural resources existing within the households of 10 local families. These families live in poor to extremely poor conditions, yet because of their closeness to the ITT and the personal relationships we share with many of them, we consider this step as an essential approach to sustainable community development. The participatory diagnosis revealed the main concerns of the local community: access to clean water, equipment for cultivating their "milpas" (three sisters maize cropping design), water pumps, areas for planting fruit trees and edible plants, and livestock management. Highest on the list of needs was the lack or insufficient availability of electrical energy. In response to this concern, we are taking actions to promote solar energy appropriate technologies such as solar cookers, dehydrators, solar water heaters and bicycle energy. We have an upcoming workshop on building wind turbines that can combine with solar energy to provide electricity in the area. This workshop will be in facilitated in conjunction with engineers from the Tecnológico de Monterrey and will unite small farmers, students, engineers, and local community members in a one of a kind hands on workshop to strengthen the communities selfsufficiency in energy needs. This workshop requires much preparation and gathering of materials. We have received a grant to cover most costs, however we are looking for addition funds to offer scholarships. Donations are a direct way of providing an opportunity for a small farmer to participate in this workshop, and ultimately, that is our goal - to create living and learning opportunities for the most underpriviledged communities to gain selfsufficiency, not only in energy neds, but also in water, food, and shelter. We would be happy to connect you with the individual who receives your donation to participate in the workshop. GRACIAS for your continued support of our programs that regenerate the Oaxacan landscape and restore dignity to small farming communities.

Materials for building composting toilets

Composting toilets out of upcycled materials

Fuel efficient stoves, the glory of rainwater, and regenerating organic landscapes

Carolina Lukac — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:30:10 GMT

Doña Juana participating in a hands on workshop to build her fam

Indigenous and small farming communities in Ejutla, Oaxaca, face daily challenges of satisfying their most basic needs of access to clean water, healthy food and sustainable energy sources. Although Oaxaca has the highest biodiversity of any state in Mexico, the extreme poverty rates are among the highest in the nation. Thus, the challenge GRUPEDSAC faces is teaching communities how to become self-sufficient while showing earth stewardship with long term sustainability in mind.

Sustainable community development initiatives at the Instituto Tonantzin Tlalli have benefited 10 families in Ejutla through hands-on workshops to install rainwater catchment systems, biointensive gardens, and fuel efficient stoves in their homes. Each family is required to have at least 5 family members participate in the hands-on training, with the understanding that they in turn will train other community members.

The improvements in quality of life have been enormous – women burn 50% less wood and get 75% better fuel efficiency with their new stoves, 6 of the 10 families will now have a secure water source for the 8 dry months of the year (the glory of rainwater!), and the organic cultivation of local, highly nutritious crops will improve the diets of women and children suffering from malnutrition.

We greatly appreciate your feedback and look forward to sharing your enthusiasm with the communities directly benefited from your generosity and belief in the power of sustainable solutions. Gracias!

Thanks to the rainwater cistern we built last year, Don Tino has

A woman participates in the construction of a fuel efficient sto

Rainwater harvesting for a Oaxacan family

Carolina Lukac — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:18:44 GMT

Cistern under construction

We have completed the construction of a fourth rainwater storage cistern to benefit the Aragón Ríos family in rural Oaxaca. The entire family participated in the construction process, thereby acquiring the skills to teach their neighbors and replicate the technology in their community. Our goal is to complete the construction of a total of 10 cisterns in the community of Guelaxico, Oaxaca, within the next few months. Thank you for your donation to help us provide clean water to families!

Guadalupe working on the cover for the cistern

The Aragon Rios family proudly standing next to the completed ci

Rainwater storage tanks and solar ovens appear in the Oaxacan landscape

Carolina Lukac — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:40:07 GMT

Jorge and his family proudly standing by the new rainwater stora

Thanks to donor contributions and many volunteer hands, we have completed the construction of a second 10,000 liter rainwater storage tank, just in time for the cistern to fill up with this season’s bountiful rain. Jorge and his family now have access to clean water on a regular basis. Volunteers, community members, and particularly women, participated in the construction process and learned the “ferrocement” construction technique along the way. Thank you for contributing to bringing back water in a dry landscape!

Also in recent news, last month we celebrated the first round for distributing solar energy cookers to rural families in Oaxaca. Over 40 women and their families gathered at the Instituto Tonantzin Tlalli (ITT), our education center in Oaxaca, to participate in a training session on how to use the solar energy cookers. Each family was given one solar energy cooker to take back to their rural communities. This solar energy project is designed to reduce the devastating deforestation rates in Oaxaca, where wood provides the most common cooking fuel, and to improve family diets by also incorporating healthy cooking habits into the training sessions. Our goal is to distribute 200 solar ovens, hosting at least one solar cooking training workshop at the ITT each month. Your contributions have helped bring solar energy and healthy cooking alternatives to a landscape where sun is plentiful, but environmental degradation and malnutrition are also in abundance. Gracias!

Women learning how to set up the solar energy cooker

Children are especially excited about the solar cooker

Rainwater cistern improves farmer's access to clean water

Carolina Lukac — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:18:47 GMT

Don Tino's rustic house and farmland

This past February, we finished the construction of a rainwater storage tank for a small farmer in rural Oaxaca thanks to the generous support of donors.

The donations were used to build a cistern (rainwater storage tank) for Justino Cruz González. Don Tino, as he is respectfully known, has shared a relationship with the Instiuto Tonantzin Tlalli (ITT), our education center in Oaxaca, for close to 5 years. This 65 year old man lives off the land adjacent to the ITT, however he has no access to running water, nor electricity. He relies on seasonal rains to water his corn crop and lives off of a daily income of $6.00 dollars.

Last year we organized a workshop to build an earthen wood-saving stove in his home and celebrated by eating fresh tortillas warmed on the stove, tortillas from the native corn Don Tino recently harvested.

We believe in supporting individuals like Don Tino by building a relationship with them and transmitting practical knowledge that has the real ability to improve their quality of life.

The 10,000 liter cistern was built out of a technique known as "ferrocement". It is a very easy to learn, practical, flexible, and cheap building technology ideal for constructing water storage tanks. The cistern is connected to a simple rainwater harvesting system installed on the small tin roof that covers Don Tino's living quarters. A workshop was organized with local community members to collectively build the cistern, and they in turn received training in the building technique.

By this year's rainy season which begins in May, the cistern will be equipped to catch rainwater and for the first time, satisfy Don Tino's basic need and access to fresh water.

Don Tino and is family next to the rainwater cistern

Volunteers and construction crew

Upcycling platic bottles for composting toilet and rainwater cistern

Carolina Lukac — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:51:43 GMT

Reusing plastic bottles to build a rain water storage cistern

We recently hosted a workshop at our training center in Oaxaca on "upcycling" to provide examples of how plastic PET bottles can be re-used in environmentally friendly building projects. Mexico is the second highest producer of PET bottles that end up in landfills for hundreds of years. Turning the bottles into alternative building materials is a practical, low cost, and simple technology.

Our most recent project activities deal with alternative building techniques for constructing water-saving composting toilets and rainwater harvesting water cisterns.

The first project was the construction of a composting toilet module, using PET bottles to build up the walls. Volunteers, staff members, and local community members participated in the building project.

We are currently planning our second plastic bottle construction on site. We will be building a 5,000 liter rainwater storage cistern, by using PET bottles as "bricks". We have built 2 similar cisterns in rural Mayan communities in Yucatán and now we are looking forward to having a living example of one at our training center.

Reusing platic bottles to build walls of a composting toilet mod

Upcycling plastic bottles for building rainwater storage cistern