Water Filters for Los Tehuistes

Tehuiste Abajo and Tehuiste Arriba are neighboring villages in La Paz, El Salvador, and the 150 families living there are in desperate need of clean water. The local water source, the river, is dry six months of the year. The community’s water is highly contaminated with feces and E. coli, and 82% of the population has parasites from fecal-oral contamination. 

A locally elected water committee has organized to face this issue. In 2013 we saw the successful delivery of 60 water filters to the community. However, while Caminos de Acción and the Tehuiste Water Committee continue working to secure additional filters, there are many families still drinking unfiltered water straight from a contaminated river. Their “filters” consist of scrap cloths used to strain organic materials and trash from the river water.

In collaboration with the CIS (Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad), Caminos de Acción is fundraising for water filters because many people in El Salvador, especially children, still die from amoebic dysentery and related diseases, and many families cannot afford the medicine or treatment to cure water borne illnesses such as amoebas, bacteria, giardia, e coli, fungus, colitis, and cancer, which can be debilitating and lead to death. 

An $85 donation will provide a family with access to clean water for 10 years, including:

  1. A SAWYER water filter and two buckets to accompany filter.

  2. Transportation of promoter to communities-organization, 2 workshops, home visits, evaluation.

  3. Popular education workshops to demonstrate the importance and proper use and maintenance of the filter, how to avoid contaminating water sources, and conduct follow-up with the communities, to ensure ongoing use and overcome obstacles.

  4. Medical exam of one family member before and after filter use and treatment.

  5. Written materials, including an illustrated step-by-step guide to a family’s access to clean water.

CdA never gives filters away for free. Each family contributes $10 for ownership of their filter and water education.