Clean Water and Sanitation -Rainforest of Peru

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.

Links:

• Additional tap stands for new families in Tayakome.
• Overview of our mission and projects.

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.

Links:

• Executive Director Nancy Santulllo interviewing health promoter.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. 
4. 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

Links:

• Article on HOTC Founder and Executive Director Nancy Santullo

It is time once again to update you on our progress in Tayakome. How quickly time is passing as it’s been nearly 2 ½ years since we first began to empower the Matsigenka people of this village, through the flow of clean water, dignified sanitation and health education. It has been an amazing experience for us all.

Our advances have been monumental for the people who once believed that they were all but forgotten, and their dedication remains unwavering.

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

1. A supervision visit to Tayakome to teach advanced technical training to the village water/ sanitation committee and the villagers. These ongoing training workshops are essential for the people to achieve long term health advances and sustainability. 
2. A health supervision visit to teach basic health and hygiene education to the village health promoter, the children, mothers and community members. House-to-house visits were also made with the health promoter to secure that the tap stands and greywater drains were functioning, and to have our staff visit with the people personally.
3. Health documentation: parasite and anemia testing was conducted for the children and the whole family in December of 2011.
4. Microbiology water testing was conducted with the village water/sanitation committee to secure that the water supply was safe.
5. Dr. Glenn Shepard Jr., Medical Anthropologist and Matsigenka expert, made a visit to Tayakome to document the social impact our programming is having on this remote native culture, and to ensure our programming stays culturally appropriate.

The GREAT News!!!

The water in Tayakome continues to flow clean, the bathrooms are in great working order, and hygiene practices among the villagers are much improved. The water/sanitation committee is maintaining the infrastructure beautifully. 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. 

The people of Tayakome continue to FLOURISH and your GlobalGiving donations continue to be instrumental in improving the health and well being of this native culture.

What’s NEXT:  Our next supervision visit will be in April 2012 when the Peruvian project supervisor, Caleb Matos Chavez , continues his work training the village water/sanitation committee in systems maintenance and water safety and quality.

The health educator will conduct a supervision visit to work with the village health promoter, the school teachers, and the mothers and children on health and hygiene practices. She will also distribute anti-parasite medicine in partnership with the health tech from the village medical post.

We are also committed to building three additional tap stands in the village, and we are currently scheduling the construction. 

The generosity of our GlobalGiving Family is truly inspiring and instrumental in helping House of the Children realize our goals of healthy, educated, culturally aware children and adults that flourish in their natural environment. Together we are doing what has never been done for remote native cultures in the history of the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. We have made history and the health of the people is changed for the better.  

Many thanks for your ongoing support of our work!  Please share our work with your family, friends and colleagues!

Nancy Santullo

Executive Director

House of the Children

Links:

• Anthropologist Glenn Shepard PhD, conducting our social study.
• Health team in Tayakome w/HOTC founder Nancy Santullo
• Technical training - village water & sanitation committee

Dear Friend,

It is always our great pleasure to report our project advances to you! The people of Tayakome continue to inspire our work by how quickly they are adapting to the new infrastructure that was installed 2009 -2010. The water flows clean, the bathroom structure at the school is hygienic and in perfect working order, and good hygiene practices abound. We are very proud of the people, especially since 60% of all water projects fail within the first three years of implementation--and Tayakome is FLOURISHING!

In July and August of 2011 our Peru associate and project supervisor Caleb Matos Chavez made supervision visits to Tayakome. Your GlobalGiving donations were instrumental in helping to accomplish the following:

1. Installation of sky lights on the roof of the bathroom structure to minimize flies and mosquitoes gathering in the stall areas. Structural maintenance was also performed due to a leaky pipe.
2. Overall maintenance of the gravity flow water system, cleaning of the slow sand filters, bacteriological water testing, and PH balance testing was conducted to assure the water supply was safe. This was done with the water and sanitation committee. (WSC).
3. A technical training course was implemented for villagers and the WSC to review the infrastructure, and the importance of water quality testing and safety. These training workshops are essential for the community to arrive at long term health advances and project sustainability. 
4. The establishment of a monthly water and sanitation fee in which each family contributes $3.50 per month to maintain their infrastructure. This agreement was established at a community meeting in which 80% of the villagers were present.
5. House-to-house visits were also made with the village health promoter to secure that the tap stands and greywater drains were functioning, and to check-in personally with the people.
6. Meetings were held at the health post with the doctor, nurse and health aides to evolve their understanding of the biological components of slow sand filtration, and how it is removing 99.99% of the bacteria from the water supply. Caleb’s training with the medical staff assured them that the water is safe to drink without the use of chlorine disinfection.

What’s NEXT:  Our next supervision visit will be this December when our medical anthropologist Dr. Glenn Shepard Jr., will conduct a social impact study on the influence of our programming on remote rainforest cultures. We will also continue with technical training and health education to support long term health and sustainability.

House of the Children would like to thank our GlobalGiving Family for their ongoing generosity and friendship to the children and families of Tayakome. The advances in the community are monumental for indigenous people and give hope and inspiration to other villages that await our services.

REMINDER! We still have 14 months of supervision visits in Tayakome, so know that we would all be grateful for your continued support of these beautiful Matsigenka people.

Many Thanks!

Nancy Santullo

P.S.  Please share our work with your friends and colleagues!

"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit." Greek Proverb

Links:

• Capacity Training Villagers and the H2O comittee.
• Community members agree on a water fee.