The Water School

Scaling Impact Through Next-Generation Grassroots Organizers

Photo: Ana, Community Organizer with Caminos de Agua, leading one of the inaugural sessions of the newly established 'Water School' at the San Cayetano Community Center.

Gudelia Trejo and Carmen Castro are two of literally dozens of community leaders and organizers who have been steadfast partners of Caminos de Agua for well over a decade, working tirelessly to address the challenges of water scarcity and contamination. With over half the population in our region exposed to dangerously high levels of naturally occurring arsenic and fluoride in their drinking water, and even more dealing with severe water scarcity, women like Gudelia and Carmen have been critical to expanding clean water access – helping bring lifesaving water solutions to thousands. From the moment they first confronted the water crisis and its devastating effects, these remarkable women have led the charge in community organizing, transforming countless lives with their commitment.

“The moment I received my rainwater harvesting system, I knew I wanted to make sure others can get one too. That’s the goal we work toward.”

– Gudelia Trejo, a community organizer from Pozo Ademado

Photos: Gudelia leading a rainwater harvesting workshop in the rural community of El Garabatillo.

For a small organization like Caminos, leveraging existing networks and partnering with community members is essential to maximizing our impact in the watershed. The contributions of dedicated community leaders, like Gudelia and Carmen, are invaluable for entering communities, building trust and relationships, implementing educational and technical trainings, and installing water solutions. Over the years, our collaborative efforts have created so much more clean water, and community well-being, than our respective organizations could have achieved alone. 

Working closely with community leaders and grassroots organizations exemplifies our commitment to a community-led approach, which we see as paramount to creating long-term sustainability and ownership over our joint water projects. For local community leaders, partnering with Caminos has opened up doors and collaborations, provided new tools and information, and dramatically increased our collective impact across dozens of rural villages. 

“Our collaboration with Caminos has been immensely valuable, as we had been knocking on the doors of various municipalities for a long time without receiving any response.” 

–Carmen Castro, co-founder of SECOPA, a grassroots organization dedicated to expanding access to safe, clean drinking water.

There is just one problem…

After decades of dedicated service to their neighbors, both Gudelia and Carmen, like so many of our community partners, are now in their sixties and rightly seeking some well-deserved rest. Yet, as our water crisis continues to escalate, their stepping back leaves a critical gap. Without strong community leadership and organizing, scaling our efforts will be immensely challenging, if not impossible, in the coming years. If we don't address this issue, our capacity to mitigate the impacts of living in one of the world's most overexploited groundwater regions could be seriously compromised.

Investing in the Future of Our Watershed

This is why Caminos, working alongside our grassroots and community collaborators as well as our long-time partner NGO, INANA, co-created the Water School—a two-year educational program designed to offer hands-on learning to a new generation of community organizers who will continue the vital work of Gudelia, Carmen, and our vast network of community partners. This program ensures that our collective efforts to address the water crisis remain strong and enduring. As Gudelia and Carmen remind us,

“It is crucial that what we have started continues, and that young people cultivate a deep love for the land, the environment, and each other, understanding that everything we do is for the benefit of all.”

Photo: Carmen Castro leading a workshop for youth interested in the Water School.

The Water School not only encompasses our grassroots and community partners, but we’re also inviting other local and national NGOs to impart their knowledge and experience. The school is being led by members of Caminos and INANA, and the curriculum is being co-designed by all actors. Importantly, the Water School includes accreditation from the UCI-RED university, which means students who participate for the full two years will receive a university-accredited certification. 

More than 30 youth, called “apprentices,” primarily women aged 18-25, have already enrolled in the Water School. Over the next 24 months, they will work closely with Caminos staff, community leaders like Carmen and Gudelia, and many other partners in areas such as water technologies (like rainwater harvesting and water filtration), reforestation and watershed restoration, agroforestry, health and nutrition, communication, and community organization. 

As Gudelia and Carmen approach retirement, they are transitioning from catalysts of change to mentors and motivators for the young community members poised to take their place. They remain hopeful, stating, 

“The young people who will take up the baton will be the ones helping others with water harvesting, driven by deep love and care for the land, nature, and our Mother Earth.”

Photo: Students from the Water School program actively participating in the inaugural session.