Sanitation Facilities Success Story
(Link to Sanitation Facilities Project Description)
Something as Fundamental as Bathrooms has Changed the Lives of Residents in the Community of Colonia Simon Bolivar
Like many families, the Aduviris left the harsh conditions of the Altiplano in search of a better life in the Yungas jungle. There, German Aduviri bought a parcel of land in the colony of San Isidro and began working the land and raising livestock. His son, Hernan Aduviri, recalls one thing clearly, he was always sick for lack of potable water and bathrooms, an experience he does not want his 5-year-old daughter, Noelia Aduviri Savedra, to go through.
I lived here as a child,
said Aduviri, now 27 and
owner of a plot of land with his wife Elva Savedra in the colony
of Bolivar. We suffered a lot in terms of illness. Everything
that we suffered from we tried to avoid happening again.
First came potable water, the system constructed by Save the Children with cooperation from ACDI/VOCA. At the time that running water was installed, Aduviri constructed his own bathroom to take advantage of the running water, but that building is collapsing after only two years. It sits in sharp contrast to the new construction a few feet away.
The change is enormous,
Aduviri said. Now
there’s less chance of illness, especially in the milk,
because we’re all in the dairy industry.
Something as fundamental as bathrooms has improved life for the Aduviris. Before, they lived in Caranavi and commuted to their land because they had no latrines. Relieving oneself was done out in the open, which provided major hygiene threats to the cows he raised.
There’s a big gain in the quality of life of a child,
especially so they no longer suffer from parasites,
Aduviri
said as his daughter opened a tap and drank water. We live
for the lives of our children. A lot of people have children.
They’re no longer sick.
Bathrooms have also reversed the commute; where people used to leave colonies like this one for the basic amenities of the nearby city of Caranavi, they are now moving back. Lack of electricity is the one thing that still draws students to town so they can study, Aduviri’s 51-year-old father said.
More than anything, that’s why they came,
the younger Aduviri said. What else do you need? Water
is the minimum, that and a piece of land. ... We’re living
like kings.
The colony had planned years ago to install a potable water system and bathrooms but at a cost of at least $500 a bathroom, its tenuous economy made it impossible.
All our life we had the dream of having water but not
until this organization, Save the Children, came did we have it,
said Eleuterio Quispe, the water maintenance operator for Simon
Bolivar. We’re grateful for the support they gave
us. ... It seemed it wasn’t going to happen. Now we’re
happy with water in our homes.
German Aduviri said, What we need, we do, but we need
the help. We don’t have the economic means to do it on our
own.
Gregorio Cuarite Rodriguez moved to Simon Bolivar from near Lake Titicaca when he was 9. He recalls the colony lacked a road and bridge to access it. Now 52, he finally has running water and a bathroom.
We’re getting better and we hope to get better as
long as we’re living,
Cuarite said, and that
our kids have a better life.
Now, the small settlement of Simon Bolivar is serving a model for the surrounding colonies.
Sometimes people who don’t believe have to come
and see,
German Aduviri said. People need a pilot
project to come and see, not hear. Everybody is impressed, ´I
don’t have a bathroom like this in my town.´ People
have a need and want to work.
This article was written by journalist Rafael Hermoso, and provided to ACDI/VOCA courtesy of Save the Children / Bolivia.
