Doña Raquel lives in the community of Lapalén in the district of Cascas, Peru. In 2009 she and her fellow community members began discussions with the local government in hopes of getting access to drinking water, but with little movement.
At that time, households were consuming water from irrigation ditches and ponds, and Doña Raquel’s husband and others contracted water-born illnesses. But when Doña Raquel’s husband and her neighbor Sessi Calvanapón heard that a nearby town was hosting a meeting with an NGO and the municipal government to talk about constructing a new water system, they decided to attend to see if they could get help, too.

The NGO was Water For People, and the community of Lapalén got its wish. Water For People collaborated with the local government and the residents to implement a new system. At first, many people did not really believe it was going to happen, based on disappointing previous experiences, but as the construction materials began to arrive, everyone said “Finally our dreams have come true!” Community members organized groups to contribute labor each day, working in the rocky foothills, driven by the promise of access to clean water. The women helped to supervise the men to ensure they met construction standards; at first this was a challenge, but ultimately the women gained respect for their leadership and dedication to accuracy.

Water For People also supported establishing a local drinking water committee, which included training members on system maintenance and cleaning. Now, Lapalen has a gravity-fed water system with a tap at each home, making it the first community to implement household micro-meters. The families pay usage fees based on meter readings, and the funds support paying a maintenance operator and purchasing spare parts.

Raquel says, “We are all very happy because with potable drinking water our health has improved. My gratitude goes to people who contribute to Water For People because with their help the areas that need it the most benefit — areas where low-income people live who could not afford on their own a system that provides chlorinated safe water.”

Every contribution you make to Water For People has such a tremendous impact on the communities where we work. You are changing lives, changing communities, changing districts and nations – you are changing the future.