María Madre de Los Pobres, La Chacra, San Salvador, El Salvador

After attending two previous training sessions regarding health, hygiene, sanitation, filter usage and environmental protection, 24 residents of La Chacra, received their filters.  Saturday May 31^st, 2014, the CIS Clean Water Project delivered 24 Sawyer Water Filters to each participant who had completed all of the pre-requisites.  Luis, coordinator of the CIS Clean Water project, showed everyone how to assemble their filters step by step.  After all questions were answered, the filters were distributed.  Each participant received their filter, and stayed to assemble it on-site to ensure proper filter installation.  CIS has trained representatives in 74 families in the Parish of Maria Madre de los Pobres and donated filters to those same families to date.  The CIS trainings are about raising awareness and changing people’s habits previous to giving the filters, so as not to fall into the trap of some NGOs or visitors who hand things out and feel good, but don’t do the necessary preparation, organization and follow up to make sure people have adequate training and orientation to actually make changes of what have been lifelong habits and conditions.

 

Special Thanks to Chris Chaney and the new NGO he has started – GIVE SAFE WATER - for raising the funds for the project, and to Maria Madre de los Pobres Parish for providing a meeting place and coordination support, and assigning Wendy who is now the local coordinator of the water committee at Madre.