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Safe Drinking Water forAricaporo Aricaporo, Colombia
Project GoalReduce the incidence of waterborne diseases by constructing a deepwell aqueduct system and a water treatment plant that will providesafe drinking water to 50 families in Aricaporo, Colombia.Project DescriptionConstruction and installation of deep well aqueduct system andwater treatment plantMaterials for WASH training sessionsSafety and visibility materialsTransportation of materialsCivil engineer and social worker salariesPreliminary and follow-up monitoring and evaluation visitsThrough the “Safe Drinking Water for Aricaporo” project, Food Forthe Poor (FFTP) aims to provide potable water to 50 families — about200 residents — in the Aricaporo community of Colombia. We willconstruct a deep well aqueduct system and a compact, solar-powered water treatment plant to increase home water quality. Wealso seek to promote community awareness of water issues andproper hygiene by facilitating Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)training sessions and water quality tests.With your gift, we will provide the following project components:Our in-country partner, Minuto de Dios, and Aricaporo’s CommunityAction Board (CAB) will conduct the WASH training sessions andwater quality tests. Minuto de Dios will also contribute $12,147 towardthis project, which will cover activities related to personnel salariesand design expenses.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 Costs: $118,190.10
ColombiaColombia is in the northwestern corner of South America and isbordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, as well asPanama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. It is comprised of 32departments, with the capital being Bogota. Colombia’s population is close to 50 million people, with a massiveand accelerating influx of immigrants from Venezuela adding to thisnumber. Recent political and economic strife in Venezuela hasresulted in an estimated 1.7 million Venezuelans arriving in Colombia.In 2014, FFTP began serving in Colombia by working with the Orderof Malta, one of the oldest lay religious orders of the Catholic Church.We recently formed a close partnership with Minuto de Dios. ThisColombian non-profit organization has provided counseling, jobtraining and homes to impoverished families across the country formore than 60 years. Together, FFTP and Minuto de Dios have helpedtens of thousands of poverty-stricken families receive food, medicalsupplies and hygiene kits.AricaporoAricaporo is one of 63 villages in the Hato Corozal municipality,located in the northern region of the Casanare department ofColombia. The municipality lies near the Casanare and Aricapororivers and contains interconnected lowlands, swamps and wetlands.The population estimate is 13,627 residents, with more than half inrural areas experiencing significant poverty and housing challenges.Accessible via well-maintained roads, Aricaporo is a tight-knitcommunity. Its residents thrive on agriculture, mainly bananacultivation, and livestock farming. However, job opportunities arescarce, forcing many people to find menial, temporary work withunstable incomes in various trades across both urban and rural areas.
Like most inhabitants of Casanare, Aricaporo’s community membershave experienced violence caused by various armed groups. Despitethese hardships, residents are resilient and determined to tackle theireconomic, social and infrastructure challenges. Aricaporo residents, led by their community president, strive toaddress the pressing concern of water access. To rectify the situation,Minuto de Dios works closely with Aricaporo’s CAB as it struggleswith limited resources. Through our collaborative efforts and with thesupport of your gift, we will bring clean water to Aricaporo’s residentsand offer them hope for a better future."'Never again will they hunger;never again will they thirst.The sun will not beat down on them,'nor any scorching heat."Revelation 7:16
Please click the map below to view the Google Maps locationfor Aricaporo, where we will serve through this project.GPS Coordinates: 5°59'03.9"N 71°54'16.0"W
Heeding the Call for Clean WaterWhen Minuto de Dios officials initially visited Aricaporo, they soonrealized that the community's water supply was precarious. Minuto deDios' preliminary investigation examined various project variables,such as water source location, water quality, housing layout,topography and available public services. During preliminary visitswith five representative families, Minuto de Dios discovered variouswater quality issues.Officials learned that the community's water source dries up duringdry seasons, leaving residents without water for months. Additionally,residents rely on an unprotected water source near the AricaporoRiver, which the landowner is threatening to close. Furthermore, thisunpurified water carries suspended particles that clog the distributionpipes. This bleak situation is worsened by contamination due to thecommunity's proximity to pastures and animal trails.Unfortunately, the Aricaporo River overflowed in May 2023,collapsing the system and leaving residents without piped water. TheCAB was already working to secure land for a water project, which isthankfully now certified. Until Aricaporo receives its new watersystem, residents must travel an hour to collect contaminated wateror receive it via tankers from the Hato Corozal municipal government. Community members expressed that they need a deep well aqueductsystem with a water treatment system on CAB-owned property. Thiswater system will benefit about 50 families, including the elderly,children and people with disabilities.Several steps must be taken to install this water system. First, we willlay a strong foundation, construct a deep well aqueduct system andprovide an electrical record to record geographic information on thedrilling depth. Next, we will drill until the necessary depth is reached,clearing mud to ensure cleanliness. Lastly, we will build a tank to storethe treated water.
This water system will provide Aricaporo residents with purified waterthrough a meticulous treatment process. In this process, raw waterwill be gathered from local streams, lakes, ponds, or rivers. Alum willthen be introduced to the water to diminish turbidity, followed by acomprehensive treatment process that includes chlorination. Oncepurified, it will undergo rigorous testing at the distribution point,ensuring its quality and safety for consumption.The water treatment plant will be solar-powered, promotingsustainability and environmental conservation while reducingelectricity costs. The CAB will oversee training and maintenance,ensuring a seamless operation.Additionally, Minuto de Dios will conduct five WASH training sessionsaddressing drinking water concerns and five training sessionsemphasizing hygiene and health. Topics covered will range fromwater efficiency and sanitation to dry toilets and rainwatermanagement.To ensure this project’s sustainability, the CAB will receive training inpotable water treatment plant and solar energy system managementand be equipped with comprehensive operational manuals. We willwork with them to develop a monthly tariff structure to sustainmaintenance expenses. In addition, we will help them implement acertification process to safeguard the location from potential floodingrisks, ensuring long-term safety.We will facilitate preliminary and follow-up visits six months afterproject completion to certify continued home water quality. Duringthese visits, Minuto de Dios will randomly sample the water receivedby 5% of residents.Addressing Aricaporo’s challenges is critical for its residents’ well-being. Your gift of water will provide a wellspring of hope for thesevulnerable families who thirst for a healthier way of life. They willrejoice knowing the community’s water is safe for their families andfuture generations.
Please click the images below to hear some Aricaporo residentspassionately express their need for safe drinking water.TestimonialsMarcela — community leader Roberto — resident Blanca — resident"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water."Psalm 63:1
Access to clean water is a matter of life and death for Aricapororesidents. They contract various illnesses and diseases byconsuming rainwater and dark, muddy river water.Please click this image to view more photosof Aricaporo’s contaminated water source.
Minuto de Dios technical representatives and residentsinspected the collapsed water source on their initial site visit.Please click this image to view morephotos of Minuto de Dios’ site visit.
Minuto de Dios officials visited five representative families onthis visit as well to assess their water quality conditions.
A deep well such as this one would provide a consistent supply of water for the community
This water treatment plant design presentsa glimpse of the inner workings ofproducing high-quality drinking water.
We hope that you join us on this transformative journey. MayGod continue to bless you with an endless flow of His love.Your generous gift of clean water will bring joy to residents.This blessing will provi de present and future generations ofcommunity members with a healthier future.
Please click this image to view a video of a similar water projectthat we previously completed in Colombia.
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).Budget
Please click this image to view a message from our EVP andChief Development Officer, Natalie Carlisle, CFRE.
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.If you would like more information about this report, please contactyour advisor.Please click this QR code or scan it using your mobiledevice’s camera app to view this proposal online:2304CP