By Lucia Vega | Nicaragua Program Operations Manager
The Fred Strohebhn Training Center in Nicaragua now has a new water tank installed to provide clean, safe drinking water to hundreds of trainees! Thanks to the generosity of donors to this project, there were sufficient funds to not only install a new water tank, but also new restrooms at the training center.
Self-Help’s Nicaragua training center opened its doors in late 2013 to provide practical hands-on training to empower the rural poor – especially women – to better provide for their families. It serves as the main office for Self-Help’s staff trainers and is the main location where water chlorinators are built and promoted. Yet in July, we discovered that the water tower on the premises was rotting and had become a breeding grounds for moquitos and bacteria. Staff and trainees experienced illnesses caused by the untreated water available. Thanks to your generous support, we received sufficient funds to fix this problem by Thanksgiving.
The first water tank was made with wood and sat atop a high tower, which made cleaning and regular maintenance difficult and unsafe. With the funds donated by GlobalGiving supporters, we were able to construct a new water tower from concrete as planned. Having learned from the problems of the previous tank, the new water tower is made of concrete instead of wood, and two small filters were installed to clean the debris – including mosquito larvae – from the drinking water.
As always, to maximize the benefit of this new construction project, the bottom of the water tower was used to construct new restroom facilities to promote good sanitation and hygiene. We installed two toilets and one sink for handwashing, and will complete construction of the door and window for privacy in the coming months. The bathrooms inside the building are now used just for the ladies, and the more basic newly constructed facilities are for use by the men. In the photos below, you can see the newly constructed shed/restrooms below the water tank.
With limited funds available and so much need around us, nothing at our training center goes to waste. The initial water storage tank that used to be at the top of the rotting tower will now be re-purposed to help train farmers and women in the micro-credit program about gardening how to use drip irrigation to grow produce even in the dry season.
The final step in this project will be for Orlando, our clean water project officer, to install the CTI-8 water chlorinator in the new water tank. Orlando has been very traveling to Nueva Guinea and Muelles de Los Buelles to install CTI-8 systems for rural communities, but we expect that work to slow down as the holidays approach so we will be able to install the CTI-8 system then.
Thank you for your support, which is providing clean water for our staff and trainees so we can put into practice what we preach about good hygiene and sanitary practices, and provide safe water for all trainees who come to learn at our training center. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
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