Why Rainwater Harvesting is Something You Should Know a Lot More About!
Photo: Saúl Juárez
This is the third in a month-long series illustrating the importance of rainwater harvesting throughout our region through the lens of people like Saúl Juarez, who are dealing with the health, economic, and structural impacts of our water crisis everyday. The rainy season is only 8 weeks long. So, we have to build as many systems as we can – as fast as possible. Please consider supporting our rainy season initiative today with a financial contribution
“In this region there are many rural communities with no access to running water at all. [Many people] depend on a small pool of water in a river or a small stream to satisfy their basic needs. There is a brutal inequity [in water access]; there are communities where people only have access to 5 liters of water per day while there are neighborhoods [in the cities] or agricultural wells that pump water all day long. Also, many people are facing severe health threats due to consuming water contaminated with arsenic and fluoride many times above the World Health Organization limits. We in Caminos de Agua have been promoting rainwater harvesting, specifically for drinking and cooking water, for years to help address these issues.
But for me, the most attractive part of our rainwater harvesting projects is how they can build dignity in rural community life [by] promoting community development through building the capacities of individual people; It is seeing how people grow through a project and understand its [true] meaning. These projects have led us all to grow as people – in understanding, in reasoning, in values – so that our communities can flourish or, at the very least, so that we can see a light beyond the problems we are currently experiencing.”
- Saul Juárez
Why Caminos de Agua is Not a Charity
Photo: Saul Juarez helping to build a Rainwater Harvesting System at the community of La Norita del Refugio.
At Caminos de Agua we operate on many levels. Our “tech team” develops unique solutions that are specifically designed to work in our geographic region, taking into consideration the local economic conditions. Our advocacy team works with government, educational partners, grassroots collaborators, and like-minded NGO’s to help substantially expand our reach and impact. Our communications and education specialists work to raise awareness about the water crisis and educate communities about their options. However, when we enter communities to go to work, we go in as partners and as equals. Our role is often as the facilitator of systems, knowledge, materials, and other resources. We help our community partners analyze their problems, understand their needs, determine their potential best solutions, and provide access to the necessary funds. Then we work closely with them on implementation. At the end of the day, however, all the decisions regarding a specific project are not made by us but rather the families themselves. As Saúl says,
“The role of organizations like Caminos de Agua should be to support people to see themselves as the subjects of their own development and not as recipients of charity.”
For well over six years, Saúl has been fundamental in helping Caminos de Agua develop and continually refine this community-led approach. As each community project proceeds and comes to fruition, we inevitably hear how communities see themselves more clearly, get to know their neighbors again, work together side-by-side to construct their systems, and learn to utilize and maintain their solutions together. We also see how this creates community closeness, growth, strength, and resilience.