In this poor and desperate environment, it’s common for youths to fall into gangs and associated violence.

But, an innovative new WaterAid training program has found a way to help young men and women find another path.

Among Bilwi’s many problems is the scarcity of drinking water. Although the area is surrounded by rivers and lagoons, just one in five people has access to the unreliable municipal water supply. Public waterways and streams are visibly polluted. Only about half of the city’s population has access to a toilet.

The city needs trained plumbers, masons and engineers to keep water and sanitation services running. WaterAid and its partner AMEC (Aerobombas de Mecate, meaning ‘Windpumps and Ropepumps’) have set up a practical program for training students to become skilled entrepreneurs in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Once they are taught the masonry and plumbing skills needed to build water wells and toilets, some have established their own profitable plumbing businesses. Filling the demand not only keeps them busy, it also brings health and economic benefits to their community.

Meet Bilwi’s new generation of plumbers:

Ron, 21, is an ex-gang member who has been on one of the technical courses for ‘at risk’ young people. It has changed the direction of his life and helped him to make positive steps for his future.

“Being in a gang in Bilwi means you’re a thief — that no-one likes you,” explains Ron.

He was once part of a gang called Young S.G.  (based in the Saint Gill neighborhood), fighting with stones, machetes and sometimes firearms. The gang is made up of boys as young as 12 years old. Ron, now out of this circle, recalls what it was like to be part of a gang.

In one particular fight between Young S.G. and the neighboring Bus Stop Gang, a friend of Ron’s was cut with a machete, while he himself escaped with a blow to the head from a stone. Gang violence isn’t the only issue effecting Ron’s neighborhood. Here, diseases caused by dirty water are rife.

When he heard about the plumbing training program, Ron saw an opportunity, not only for an escape out of gang life, but also to also bring water to his community. Ron is optimistic – so much so, that he’s now thinking about setting up his own personal business. It seems like the best investment right now: “There’s no future in gangs,” he says.

Bessy, 16, has finished her WASH and entrepreneurship training. She explains the situation with gangs in the community, and how visiting her psychologist has impacted her life and relationships:

Some of them pressure us and some of them molest us. I have a (female) cousin who is involved with them...she is looking for fights and to hijack people and fight with machetes. Maybe the others will kill her.

“I wanted to work with the people of the community… there has been a change in my self-confidence, self-esteem. Cleaning wells, installing toilets and constructing rope pump wells are my favorite things about the WaterAid course.”

Whether it’s new technology or thinking about old problems in a fresh way, innovation is a key driver in realizing our vision of a world where everyone everywhere has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

Photo Credit: Jordi Ruiz Cirera