Grow Clean Food & Harvest Water in Rural Oaxaca

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.