In 2015, Water Mission Peru transitioned a successful safe water and sanitation project over to the community of San Martin de Letira. Commissioned for 1,440 residents on April 25, 2014, the Safe Water Committee in San Martin, a community-elected group organized to manage and oversee the project, completed 10 successful follow-up visits with Water Mission Peru staff members. Over the following 18 months, the Safe Water Committee amassed a remarkable amount of $8,000 USD in their savings account, demonstrating financial sustainability.
Funded by a local Rotary Club, this project initiated a long-term process of transformation in the community. After learning about the safe water project, the local government joined in to provide electricity for the first time in San Martin. The Safe Water Committee invested time and labor to build and install the safe water system for the community, operate and maintain the equipment, and administer ongoing safe water service. After the safe water system was installed, the Safe Water Committee worked with Water Mission Peru staff to expand the project to build household latrines in the community.
The strength of San Martin’s leadership is key to the overall success of this project. Our staff piloted a new community development initiative with the Safe Water Committee called the “Ten Seeds Technique.” Part of the Management Capacity Index in our Success Standards, this tool provides a measurement of the leadership’s perceived capacity to oversee and respond to financial, technical and social elements that are crucial to ongoing safe water service delivery. It charts their feelings of empowerment in 10 key capacity areas and points out opportunities for growth and improvement, both on part of the committee and our staff as they teach and empower the committee.
“We will ensure that community members and local service providers are active in the planning and management of WASH services, and in defining ‘success.’ Formal community leaders have a central role, particularly in the long-term management of WASH services, but we must also take special care to include end users at all levels — particularly the very poor and socially marginalized.”
San Martin’s Safe Water Committee was able to chart their improvement from 2014 to 2015, citing significant improvement and also significant fiscal savings. The community’s leadership has noticed the need in neighboring communities for safe water, and has adopted a new cost structure for neighbors to collect water that were not part of the initial safe water investment.
“Through this project, we can motivate many people from neighboring villages to take the same steps to have a better quality of life,” explained a local resident to Water Mission Peru staff. “Many residents of neighboring towns ask for this project and are interested in consuming the same treated water that has made us communicate better with our neighbors.” The need for expanding safe water services in neighboring communities has resulted in Water Mission Peru staff submitting assessments for these communities and seeking more funding opportunities to provide more communities in the region with safe water.
Learn more about our community development approach, ensuring financial sustainability, here.
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