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Safe and Living Waterfor ChiapasChiapas, Mexico

Project DescriptionAlum, filters and chlorineSafe storage of treated waterRemote monitoring systemThe "Safe and Living Water for Chiapas" project will construct oneLiving Water Treatment System (LWTS) each for 10 communitiesthroughout two municipalities in the Chiapas state of Mexico. We arepartnering with Water Mission in their five-year strategy to providetreated water to 78 Mexican communities by 2027. Each year, WaterMission will identify two communities and build a customized LWTSto meet their needs.The first two identified communities are El Fortin and El PuenteMargaritas, which contain around 450 total families. About 100 ofthese families in El Puente Margaritas will also receive access to basicsanitation facilities to replace their inadequate facilities. Additionally,an estimated 141 people will indirectly benefit by using the treatedwater, as they live or work near the communities.These communities will be evaluated for their sites, program designand community mobilization. The program design will include thelocation of the treatment facility, storage, main and distributionpipelines, hydraulic modeling, a water quality assessment andtreatment schematic, and a remote monitoring system. This project will build a customized LWTS for each community withthe following components:Project GoalProvide safe, treated water and sanitation for 10 communities in twomunicipalities in Chiapas, Mexico, over a five-year period, starting withthe 2,971 residents of the El Fortin and El Puentes Margaritascommunities in the Pijijiapan municipality.

Fiber-reinforced concrete structure with wooden door for privacyModern toilet with sanitary sealRock or concrete collar with 8-foot-deep pitCover slab for pit and latrine floorThis project will also build 175 ventilated, deep-pit, pour-flush HealthyLatrines with the following locally-available components:During this project, Food For The Poor (FFTP) and Water Mission willform Safe Water Committees (SWCs). Members will receive trainingon how to serve treated and bottled water to their communities. TheSWCs will operate as micro-enterprises, selling bottled water via self-collection at access points or motorcycle delivery. Regular water feeswill help cover future operational and maintenance costs. Water Mission will also identify WASH (Water, Sanitation andHygiene) promoters in each community to help conduct WASHtraining for community members. The WASH promoters and SWCmembers will undergo monthly training in four cycles for one year,using the Training of Trainers (ToT) model. The WASH promoters willthen use their training to conduct their own training sessions. Theirtraining cycles will include leaders’ WASH awareness training,community WASH awareness training, menstrual hygienemanagement training and home improvement campaigns. Promoterswill focus on training young people in local schools to help withbehavior change.Additionally, Water Mission will conduct monitoring and evaluation(M&E) activities to assess the efficacy of the WASH training, use oflatrines and hygienic practices, and functionality of the water systems.Completed project budgets are subject to change if not fully fundedwithin six months. The completion date of this project may beextended for issues related to weather, natural disaster or civil unrestto the extent that such events exceed normal conditions and impedethe project’s progress.Total Project C osts: $750,000.00

Mexico is a country of 127,504,125 people (as of 2022) withcomplicated politics. While some Mexicans migrate to the UnitedStates, migrants from Central and South America stay in the countryor travel through it to reach the United States. This creates asubpopulation that is economically and socially unstable. The WorldBank noted that 3.1% of the population was at the poverty incomelevel of $2.15 a day in 2020.The Global Nutrition Report noted that 13.9% and 1.6% of Mexicanchildren under 5 years of age experience stunting and wasting,respectively. According to the World Bank, the undernourishmentrate increased from 3% to 6% since 2002. The prevalence of moderateto severe food insecurity has fluctuated: it started at 25.6% in 2015,decreased to 23% in 2017 and 2018, and increased to 26.1% in 2020.The prevalence of severe food insecurity (3.7%) is higher than in 2015(3.6%) but lower than in 2019 (3.9%).Mexico has steadily improved in water and sanitation, with 92% ofpeople using at least basic sanitation services in 2020 (WHO/UNICEFJoint Monitoring Program). Rural use is slightly lower at 86% in 2020.Additionally, 43% of the population used safely managed drinkingwater services in 2020.MexicoChiapasWater Mission’s five-year plan will occur throughout the Chiapas stateof Mexico. The two communities that they have currently identified, El Fortin and El Puente Margaritas, are located in the Pijijiapanmunicipality. They have a combined population of 2,830 people. Theireconomy mainly consists of agriculture, fishing and basic informalcommerce. The average family income is $150 per month. Waterborneillnesses and intestinal worms are the most common illnesses.

Please click the map below to see the Google Maps location for Chiapas where we will serve through this project GPS Coordinates 15 38 38 0 N 93 23 01 0 W

FFTP and Water Mission: We will share project management andcompliance responsibilities, supply and install constructionmaterials, and provide technical assistance and training activities.Pijijiapan municipal government: They will ensure that ourproposed interventions meet national and local standards,formalize all agreements between stakeholders, donate the landfor public services and build the LWTS enclosure.Residents: They will provide unskilled labor for constructionactivities and will elect SWC members and WASH promoters.To solve these problems with the El Fortin and El Puente Margaritaswater systems, we will work with Water Mission to develop varioussuccessful strategies. The future communities will have customizedapproaches following this methodology.Partnerships and Institutional AgreementsWe will partner with these entities to support residents:FFTP, Water Mission, the Pijijiapan municipal government, and ElFortin and El Puente Margaritas community leaders will sign aMemorandum of Understanding and other agreements. Thesedocuments will define the project and stipulate the roles, rights andresponsibilities of all parties, including households, communities,institutions and governments.Proposed MethodologyCurrent WASH ConditionsIn El Fortin, the primary water sources are surface wells on privateproperties, often shared among several families. Additionally,residents have access to an uncovered and unsealed borehole that is50 meters (about 164 feet) deep with a 3-inch diameter.El Puente Margaritas has a river as its water source, along with a largeunderground cistern that stores untreated water and connects to awater network. About 30% of residents claim to boil water fordrinking, 15% buy water from outside vendors and the rest do nottreat the water they consume. Additionally, about 100 families relievethemselves outside or share a latrine with other families.

Healthy Latrine designProject DesignIn El Fortin, the Pijijiapan municipal government will dig a second wellwith a 6-inch diameter and install a submersible pump. Thiscommunity will have an enterprise-model enclosure with a watertreatment solution. Motorcycle delivery drivers will distribute safewater in 20-liter containers, collecting fees upon delivery.In El Puente Margaritas, the Pijijiapan municipal government willconstruct an enclosure connected to the existing water network andwill improve a section of pipes. Water tariffs will be proposed by theSWC and rectified by community members.Both communities will receive water solutions based on water qualitytests, hygiene education, church engagement and drinking waterstations in clinics and schools. Latrines will also be constructed usinglocally available materials.

Project SustainabilityDue to the five-year strategic plan to implement LWTSs in 78communities by the end of 2027, Water Mission will work alongside ElFortin and El Puente Margaritas for the duration of this project. Theywill also support the other eight communities once those communitiesare identified. Water Mission will provide operational andmaintenance support, make any necessary modifications and monitorthe time each water point is being used or functional to help hold theSWCs accountable for sustained access.Water Mission will conduct follow-up and support visits on technicaland community development aspects of the LWTSs every month forone year after we complete this project. During these visits, their staffwill monitor community fulfillment of key WASH indicators such aswater quality, functionality of water points, usage, access, andfinancial handling and management. Other assessments will includethe operators’ competency in handling LWTS components;community satisfaction with the project; and WASH promotion,knowledge and practice within the communities. Water Mission willconduct these visits in collaboration with the local representativeoffices to ensure continuity beyond the first year.WASH TrainingWater Mission will increase residents' knowledge of how to practicegood sanitation and hygiene habits. They will also discuss howresidents can manage and maintain their LWTSs to improvecommunity health conditions. The training sessions will include thefollowing topics: water contamination and waterborne illnesses, watertreatment and safe water storage techniques, and healthy hygieneand sanitation practices. Once the WASH promoters finish theirtraining, they will then train other residents, engaging the schoolcommunity by focusing on the youth.Additionally, home improvement campaigns will help promotehouseholds' compliance with ideal hygiene standards. Thesecampaigns will occur in collaboration with local leadership and thenational public health system.

Outputs and OutcomesEach community will have an operational, sustainable LWTS thatwill consistently provide safe water.Residents will improve their health and well-being by regularlyconsuming potable water.The El Fortin and El Puente Margaritas LWTSs will serve 10churches, four schools and a clinic.The five-year plan aims to ensure 97% functionality or water flowfor at least 90% of all rural water points of access.Residents will gain an increased knowledge of good sanitation andhygiene habits.Residents in each community will learn to manage and maintaintheir LWTS.Residents will be empowered by being directly responsible for thesustainability of each LWTS and environmental protection.These LWTSs will promote gender equality by freeing womenfrom taking time to fetch water and investing that time inproductive activities.Increased water availability and decreased system leakage willallow residents to use more water for agricultural irrigation.This project will foster partnerships for future programs amonglocal and international organizations to benefit rural communities.This project will benefit 10 communities, starting with El Fortin and ElPuente Margaritas, by providing the following outputs:This project will also have the following lasting outcomes:

Monitoring and EvaluationManagement skills: assesses leadership dynamics, humanresources and WASH sustainabilityCommunity well-being: evaluates social, emotional, material andspiritual healthWASH behaviors: measures knowledge and practice of healthybehaviors (including handwashing)WASH practices significantly impact community health and well-being. However, gauging WASH's holistic impact and employing real-time data for community development can present challenges.For this project, Water Mission will conduct M&E activities utilizing theinnovative Restore Survey. This comprehensive tool is designed tosystematically capture the strengths and weaknesses of communitiesat different stages of the project's implementation cycle. The survey'saccessibility to individuals of varying ages and educationalbackgrounds makes it an effective means of evaluating communitiesacross three pivotal domains:Administered in the local language through user-friendly, mobiletouchscreen devices, the Restore Survey ensures anonymity,encouraging candid and honest responses from community members.This methodology cultivates transparency and active engagement.Moreover, the data collected is promptly processed, analyzed andshared with community leaders on the same day as the surveyadministration, facilitating agile and well-informed decision-making.The information is also shared with other key stakeholders fordecision-making purposes.You can find more information about the Restore Survey here."Indeed, the water I give them will become in thema spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

TestimonialPeople from El Fortin and El Puente Margaritas suffer from frequentstomach illnesses and need a water solution, hygiene education,church engagement and drinking water stations in clinics and schools.Santiago Belen Hernandez Suarez, a father of three children and localpastor in El Fortin, shared with us, "We've all suffered from salmonellaand typhoid here. There is not much education about safe water inschools. Some people boil water for drinking water only, but mostdrink unsafe water."Pastor Santiago shows a surface well in adverse conditions thatis used for drinking water in El Fortin.

The current El Puente Margaritas water tank provides unsafewater to residents.

Our partners at Water Mission tested the El Fortin and El PuenteMargaritas water sources for capacity and quality.

Both the El Fortin (top) and El Puente Margaritas (bottom)community leaders met with Water Mission staff to share theirneeds and discuss roles and responsibilities.

Please click this image to see one of the many water projectsthat we have previously completed.

Budget

The funds you generously contribute to Food For The Poor will beused toward completion of your project of choice. If any of yourdonation exceeds budget cost, rest assured that it will be used tofund other Food For The Poor programs and organizationalsupport to meet the urgent needs of the poor.Contributions are tax-deductible under Internal Revenue CodeSection 501(c)(3).

Timeline

About Food For The PoorFood For The Poor, one of the largest international relief anddevelopment organizations in the nation, does much more than feedmillions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. Thisinterdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency reliefassistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support forvulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visitwww.FoodForThePoor.org.Please click or scan this QR code to view the proposal online:P2301Y