1.3 million people don't have clean water close to home.
1.3 million people don't have clean water close to home.
2.7 million people don't have a decent toilet of their own.
2.7 million people don't have a decent toilet of their own.
Diarrhoea kills almost 80 children under 5 a year.
Diarrhoea kills almost 80 children under 5 a year.
What does WaterAid do in Colombia?
We are helping make clean water a normal part of daily life for the poorest, most marginalised people in the northeast region of La Guajira, by working with local communities and service providers.
With their help, we test technologies and approaches that have worked in similar environments elsewhere. We train local people to install and maintain windmill, hand and solar-driven pumps and storage tanks. And we set up water committees to help keep these solutions working, whatever changes the climate brings.
Most importantly, we bring local, national and regional organisations together to collaborate on improvements to services. Together, we are making a lasting difference in rural communities across Colombia with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
Clean water comes to Kasichi
Kasichi is situated in Middle Guajira, a remote location in the Colombian desert. The climate is hot, with temperatures ranging from 30 to 38 degrees Celsius. People here rely on animals like donkeys for their livelihoods.
A member of the Native American Wayuu group, Graciela has lived in Kasichi for seven years. For clean water, she would travel to a jaguey, a man-made pool that collects rainwater, around a kilometre away.
Unfortunately, the jaguey was easily contaminated by animals, making the water risky to drink. Graciela's family suffered because of it. "When the children would get sick with vomiting and diarrhoea I would not be able to do things at home," she explains.
We worked with the people of Kasichi to install a new well, water tank and toilets. Once built, the community set up an association to collect funds that help maintain the tank, which Graciela encourages her neighbours to contribute to. "The water source is important," she says. "And I would do anything I needed to do to protect it."