Physical Health Peru Project #2734

Clean Water and Sanitation -Rainforest of Peru

by House of the Children

Clean Water and Sanitation -Rainforest of Peru

Project Report | Jan 15, 2013
Goals Reached in Tayakome!

By Nancy Santullo | Founder and Executive Director

A new tap stand at the home of Judith and Abran.

The year-end visits to our project village of Tayakome were action packed as the people once again welcomed our team with enthusiasm. Their sleeves were rolled up and they were ready to build additional tap stands at village homes and to conduct overall yearly maintenance of their water and sanitation systems.

Our highlights included:

The building of additional tap stands with underground greywater drains at two newly built homes. Sixteen household taps have been built throughout a 6 km water distribution line since 2009, serving nearly 200 villagers.
Additional skylight panels were added to the thatched palm roof of the school bathroom structure, built in 2010. The bathrooms remain in very good working order. The children are completing their daily maintenance duties and the bathrooms are clean and hygienic.
Anti-parasite medicine was given to children and families that participated in our yearly testing program. Since 2009, dangerous intestinal parasite levels have decreased nearly 30% in the overall population.
Technical training was provided for the water and sanitation committee in building, and repair and maintenance. Water quality/safety tests to secure the water was optimum for human consumption, were also conducted. This committee is doing a great job monitoring and repairing the water and sanitation infrastructure that was installed in 2009 - 2010.
Monthly house-to-house visits were made by the village health promoter, to connect with the people and to check the condition of the tap stands and drains installed in 2009-2010. All are in good working order, hygienic and delivering clean water to the people.
The village health promoter carried out weekly hygiene lessons for the school children.

Long Team Health Advances and Sustainability is the GOAL!

The Matsigenka people of Tayakome are taking full advantage of the opportunity that is being given to them. They have learned how to take better care of themselves and their installations. The water and sanitation committee and the men of the village remain dedicated to the maintenance of the water system, as well as the bathrooms and waste disposal system.

A 30% decrease in intestinal parasite infestation is wonderful encouragement that we are on the right path! The health promoter, a young Matsgienka mother named Mircia, has blossomed into a leadership role as she teaches families how to care for their installations and their health. We could not be happier with her growth in our programming and the overall growth of the villagers.

HOTC is in the process of handing over full ownership of the project to the people. In 2013 - 2014 our intervention will be bi-yearly technical and health supervision visits. These visits will allow us to continue to monitor the progress of the people. The advances in Tayakome are monumental and serve to improve the health and well being of the people in this environmentally vital rainforest region of our world.

Many thanks to our GlobalGiving Family for the difference you have made in the lives of the people these last three years. You have helped to create a truly sustainable clean water, sanitation and health project. Our advances with the people simply would not have been possible without your generosity.

This will be our last project report. Please visit our website at www.houseofthechilldren.org to follow our Manu Rainforest Expansion Project which will continue to bring basic human services of water, sanitation and health to an additional six indigenous villages in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon.

With deep gratitude,

Nancy Santullo

Founder and Executive Director

House of the Children

A healthy and thriving rainforest makes for a healthier world.

Water committee member building a greywater drain.

Health promoter conducting hygiene lessons.

A youth builds his greywater drain.

Construction of a tap stand in Tayakome.

Water arriving to a new tap for the first time.

Children carrying rocks to build thier drain.

Links:

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Oct 5, 2012
Project Advances in Tayacome, Manu Rainforest, Peru

By Nancy Santullo | Project Leader

Clean water flowing in Tayakome.

Dear Friends,

It is time to update you on our progress in Tayakome. The happy news to report once again is: the water flows clean to the people directly at their homes, the village school houses, and the medical post. The bathrooms at the village schoolhouses continue to be well maintained and in great working order!

The village health promoter, Mircia, a Matsigenka woman from Tayakome, is flourishing in her new leadership role. She is responsible for teaching basic hygiene to the school children and makes monthly house-to-house visits to check-in on how the families are maintaining their tap stand and greywater drain.

Globally, approximately sixty percent of all water and sanitation projects fail within the first three years after their implementation. This September, Tayakome reached their third year mark, easily beating the odds. The people of Tayakome are maintaining the infrastructure built in 2009 and 2010 beautifully, and our health documentation shows a steady decrease in dangerous intestinal parasites among the children 15 years and under!

What's Ahead...

HOTC postponed our September supervision to Tayakome because the water levels of the river were dangerously low. Our health supervisor will enter in October to distribute parasite medicine, make house to house visits, and monitor hygiene education for the children, all in partnership with the village health promoter and ministry health personnel.

Our project supervisor/foreman Caleb Matos Chavez will construct two additional tap stands with greywater drains at newly constructed village homes. He will also give advance technical training to the village water committee and monitor water quality and safety.

Long Team Health Advances and Sustainability is the GOAL!

Our advances with the people simply would not be possible without the ongoing support of our GlobalGiving family. The Matsigenka people of Tayakome are well on their way to improved health and long term project sustainability because of your generosity. Their community now serves as working model for other native rainforest villages to follow. Each village brings us closer to creating a world where all people have access to clean water and dignified sanitation.

Thank you for the difference you make in the lives of the people we so proudly serve.

Sincerely yours,

Nancy Santullo

Founder and Executive Director

House of the Children

A healthy and thriving rainforest makes for a healthier world.

Health promoter teaching basic hand washing.

Links:

Executive Director Nancy Santulllo interviewing health promoter.

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Jul 2, 2012
Tayakome's Road to Long Term Project Sustainability

By Nancy Santullo | Executive Director - Project Leader

Health team giving anti-parasite medicine.

House of the Children founder and executive director, Nancy Santullo first visited Tayakome in December of 2007, in response to the urgent need of the Matsigenka people to have clean water and sanitation. She could see the willingness of the people, but wondered if her team could truly accomplish their goals, being so deep in the protected forest.

Forward to June 2012 --the sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure in Tayakome is in place. The water flows CLEAN and the bathrooms at the village school are functioning without contamination to the environment. The health of the people is steadily improving. HOTC has a strong focus on anchoring long term health advances and project sustainability. We do this through ongoing technical training and health supervision visits. It is this reinforcement that holds all the physical structures in place.

Over the last three months we were able to accomplish the following:

A supervision and technical training visit by our Peruvian project supervisor Caleb Matos Chavez in April 2012. This visit was to provide additional training to the village water/sanitation committee members in systems maintenance and water safety.
Health supervision visits were made in May and June 2012 to reinforce basic hygiene education to the village health promoter, the children, mothers and families. House-to-house visits were also made with HOTC staff and the health promoter to secure that the tap stands and greywater drains were functioning.
In May of 2012 our Peruvian health team traveled to Tayakome to document the health advances of the people. The team distributed anti-parasite medicines to all of the people who participated in our health study in Dec 2011. Additional parasite and anemia testing was conducted for families outside of the community in Dec of 2011. In the past 2 ½ years, there has been an encouraging decrease in parasite loads among children 15 years and under. Our full health study is available upon request.
Microbiological water testing was conducted with the village water/sanitation committee to secure that the water supply was safe in April 2012. Clean water continues to flow to individual homes of the people 24/7.

MORE for Tayakome! Our next supervision visit will be in September 2012. Our Peruvian project supervisor, Caleb Matos Chavez will continue his work training the village water/sanitation committee in systems maintenance and water safety and quality.

Our health educator will conduct supervision visits to Tayakome in July and Sept to continue her work with the village health promoter, the school teachers, and the mothers and children on health and hygiene practices. Additional anti-parasite medicines will be distributed to the people participating in our June testing.

Long Team Health Advances and Sustainability is the GOAL!

The people of Tayakome continue to advance their lives with a steadfast commitment. Your GlobalGiving donations are influential in supporting long term health advances among the people and project sustainability. Change takes time when working with remote rainforest cultures. HOTC has a five year commitment with the people and will continue our supervision visits and technical training visits through 2015.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication to the Matsigenka people in this environmentally vital region of our world.

Sincerely yours in service,

Nancy Santullo

Executive Director

House of the Children

Collecting healh data from medical post Tayacome.

Health documentation in Tayakome May 2012.

Health promotor working w/children at schoolhouse.

Maintenance of bathrooms at school w/youth.

Links:

Article on HOTC Founder and Executive Director Nancy Santullo

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