Guatemala

The Los Angeles Professional Chapter has partnered with the community of Xecotz, located in the Quiche region of Guatemala. There are over 1,000 people living in the community. Xecotz had an existing water distribution system that was built over 20 years ago. The community experienced seasonal water shortages from their existing system, especially during the dry season from December to May. The overall goal of this project is partnering with the community to provide safe and reliable drinking water through advocating sustainability, community involvement and project ownership.

Assessment Trip – November 2018

  • First trip where the project team visited the community
  • Collected technical data and community surveys
  • Data collected during the assessment was analyzed and the team unanimously agreed to move forward with the project 

Implementation Trip – February 2020

  • Constructed a new water system
  • New system included a spring box, conduction line, storage tanks, and a chlorination system to ensure safe drinking water for the community
  • Led W.A.S.H. educational workshops for community members

Hurricane Eta – November 2020

  • The storm damaged the new water system, leaving the community without water
  • The project team worked with local NGO to address immediate repairs and returned water access to the community
  • The water system still requires some long-term repairs and work

Remote Implementation Trip – Summer 2022

  • The project team is completed a remote implementation by working with their local NGO, local contractors and the community.
  • The implementation work will included repairing damage caused by Hurricane Eta and adding capacity with the construction of another spring box.

Monitoring & Evaluation – Fall 2023

  • The project team plans to travel in Fall 2023 to gather evaluation data to track and measure the progress made in achieving partnership objectives and the overall program goals with the community.

The project team is continuing to support Xecotz and is partnering with the community to help meet their other needs. If you’d like to get involved with the project, please contact us at ewb.la.org@gmail.com.