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Clean Water in Every Home

Children of Chinanton village in Guatemala spend a grueling four hours a day trekking across treacherous terrain in search of a few litres of dirty water.

Chinanton’s nearly 220 inhabitants have been drinking water contaminated with animal waste and surface debris for years and the toll is evident. Chinanton has one of the highest child mortality rates in the region and sickness is far too common.

For the families of Chinanton, every day begins with the same daunting challenge – find water, no matter how little, and no matter how dirty.

The women and children begin their 3 to 4 hour journey in search of water long before the sun rises above the hills that frame the rugged plateau they call home.

Having arrived at the water source – usually a small stream or tiny spring – the women and children begin filling their water containers, some of which will weigh in excess of 10 to 15 kilograms when full.

The water source, however, is usually nothing more than a slow trickle of water, making the filling process very slow… it can take up to one hour to fill just one container.

More often than not, the lineups at the water source are so long and the water flow so minimal that women and children trek home empty-handed, and are forced to try again later, making the treacherous journey in total darkness later that night.

Having clean water in their homes will mean that villagers will have more time to be with their families, to educate themselves, and to work in their fields or in other ways that improve their ability to earn a sustainable and adequate income.

For parents, one of the greatest blessings will be reversing the incredibly high mortality rate among their children, not just for today, but for coming generations as well.

In fact, clean water is so important to the families of Chinanton that they have committed to provide as much locally available materials as they can and nearly all the labor needed to construct the water system with the support of our Guatemalan water specialists.

A gift of $60 will help give clean water to one person. A gift of $420 will provide clean water for an entire family.

The water system you help build will bring clean water from a protected source of clean water nine kilometers from the village and will use gravity to deliver the water, through a system of pipes, directly to taps in every home in Chinanton.

DONATE TODAY and give clean water to the people of Chinanton, Guatemala.