We arrived at the community a little later than expected, but there were a group of women waiting to meet us and to give us prepared presentations about their experiences. The women appeared a little nervous, but they were obviously very proud (and rightfully so!), of the work they had accomplished.
Tired of walking over six miles (sometimes leaving as early as 2am) to collect enough water for drinking and daily household chores, the women self-organized in 2006 to bring clean water to their families (1). Two years later the women, in partnership with a local development organization, had planned and organized the construction of the community’s first water distribution system, which includes a yard-tap for each of the 28 households in Pinalito. According to the women, they have water service 24 hours a day, and each household pays five quetzales a month (less than one dollar), or sixty quetzales a year. Total cost of the system was 340,000 quetzales (approximately $43,500) (1).
What is so impressive is how well organized the women are. They showed us record-keeping books for their monthly Water Committee meeting minutes, a receipt book for yearly household payments, sheets for recording the chlorine residual in the system, and water quality sampling results from the Ministry of Health certifying the water was safe for drinking. Although the Ministry of Health analyzes the samples, the women must collect the water from the system and deliver it to the local health center for analysis. In addition, the women are conducting almost-daily testing of the chlorine residual in their drinking water system. The fact that the women have 24-hour service is also impressive given that even those in Guatemala City do not receive this level of service.
You can read more about the women's efforts in this article:
(1). Osorio J. 2014. La sed de progreso motiva a mujeres.