Chiquitano Forest Safe Water Project – Our Goal: 200 Water Wells for 12,000 families; 60,000 people in two years!

• The Chiquitano Forest: the world’s largest tropical dry forest covering 44 million acres, the size of Florida.
• Located in far eastern Bolivia
• 300 Indigenous communities within the Forest
• 60,000 indigenous people living on subsistence farming.

The Opportunity:

The Regional Government Spent $2-3million in drilling 200-300 water wells throughout the Chiquitano Forest

The Problem:

The Government left most of the wells with open well-casings at the top— NO PUMPS! Just a 3’-4’ Pipe sticking out of the ground. (HUH???)

The First Solution: Install Hand Pumps

The Chiquitano Forest Conservation Foundation (FCBC) developed a plan, funded by the Rotary Clubs of Canada and Santa Cruz, Bolivia to install 71 hand pumps on some of the existing wells.

The Next Problem: Sustainability!

Within 2 years, the FCBC discovered that over ¼ of the hand pumps were not functioning. Some had ceased to function within days of completion. It was discovered that often the problem was a simple fix, but no one in the community was responsible, nor knew how to fix the pumps.

Afnan in Chiquitano

The EIA/FCBC/Rotary Club Chiquitano Forest Safe Water Project

The FCBC brought in Engineers In Action and a new plan was developed.

1. The FCBC will provide logistical help, oversight, and introduction into the communities.

2. The Canadian, Santa Cruz, and International Rotary Clubs would provide $150,000 for purchase of a vehicle, pump parts, and new hand pumps to be installed.

3. Local Municipalities (County Governments) will provide financial support by purchasing parts and pumps (which allows these to be replenished and spread across the Chiquitano) and provide a person to be trained in basic pump maintenance.

4. And Engineers In Action would provide the Engineer and an Engineering Intern.

Duties of the EIA Engineer working in the Chiquitano

• GPS each existing well with a pump and open casing
• Test the quality of the water in each well
• Inspect/Repair the existing 73 Hand Pumps
• Train Local “Water Technicians” as designated by the Municipality
• Provide oversight and ‘back-up’ for Water Technicians in case they encounter problems beyond their ability or training to fix.
• Build Platforms and install Hand Pumps on an additional 120 Water Well sites.

Considering normal Pregnancy rates, and the impact of potable water on the reduction of the infant mortality rate, this project could save as many as 500 children’s lives – EACH YEAR!

How Would You Like THIS Job?

EIA hired Afnan Agromonte to take on this project. Step into his shoes for a month, working on the Chiquitano Safe Water Project:

• Monday morning, leave the office in Concepcion and drive out to a remote community. Pick up a local designated as the “water technician” for that municipality.
• GPS the site, test the water, pull and inspect the pump, make any repairs.
• Train the local water technician to do all these things.
• Map out where there are “open-casing” bore holes and begin figuring out how and when to put new hand pumps and platforms on those locations.
• Sleep in the camping equipment we provide, either in the tent, or in a school, or a church.
• Wake up the next day and move on to the next community.
• Continue this grueling schedule Monday-Friday, returning to Concepcion on Friday night to rest and make reports to the EIA office in La Paz and to the FCBC.
• Repeat for three weeks, followed by one week off. He will also keep his eyes open for possible EWB/EIA work teams.

Afnan Agromonte: Our EIA Engineer for the Chiquitano

Afnan Agramont graduated in chemical engineering from the Universidade Major de Santa (UMSA) in April 2009. When Dr. Mamani spoke to UMSA students about starting an EWB chapter at UMSA, Afnan was the first to volunteer, and quickly became their leader and president of EWB-UMSA. He made several trips with EWB-KU to Azacillo.

Engineering Grad Turns Down $1,500 a Month for $500 a Month

When Afnan graduated, he was offered a lucrative job with the Bolivian Oil Company making $1,500 per month. However, instead he came to our offices and asked if he might be able to work for us.

We offered him $500 per month, less than a third of what he was offered by the Bolivian Gas Company.

Afnan began working for EIA in June 2009. In July, he will be the lead engineer in the Chiquitano Forest Safe Water Project, researching, maintaining, and putting in hand pumps on over 200 water wells serving around 60,000 people of the Chiquitano.

“Now is the time to make a difference for my country”

When I asked him why he is working for us and making so much less then he would working for the oil and gas company, he said that he is young, has no family, and now is the time that he can make a difference in his country.

The idea that he, personally, could be responsible to bringing potable water to 60,000 people, and saving all those young children’s lives, is incentive enough for him to work for a third of what he could be making.

These are the kinds of young engineers that EIA is attracting to work for us.

The Need: “The Friends of Afnan

The salary that we have offered to this university-trained engineer will be $500/month, plus $25/month for retirement, $25/month for health insurance, $25/month for life insurance and $100/month for taxes to the government. We also hope to provide $100/month for housing. The total cost to EIA will be ~ $800/month or approximately $40/day; $200/week; or ~$10,000 a year.

The “Friends of Afnan” are persons like yourself who are willing to give $25, $50, $100, $200 or more every three months to support this life-giving work. Every three months, you will have a report and an opportunity to join a live web conference with Afnan from Bolivia, where he will report directly to you about his work; and where you will be able to ask him questions and learn all the more about this incredible young man.

You will also recieve a reminder that it is time for your quarterly donation. A donation of $25/quarter = $100/year and will cover a 1/2 week of the salary and benefits for Afnan’s work. A donation of $50/quarter will, within a year, cover a whole week.  A gift of $100/quarter will, over a year, cover 1/2 month’s support; and $200/quarter will cover an entire month!

Won’t you consider making a donation of $25, $50, $100, $200 or more, once every 3 months to help us help Afnan bring potable water to 60,000 people?

All the pieces are in place: the drilled wells, existing hand pumps and money to purchase additional pumps, a vehicle, parts, and a system. All that is left is the KEY component: an engineer.

We have the right man for the job. We just need you to befriend this young man and to make it happen.

Email our Executive Director, David Stephenson at tulsadstephenson@yahoo.com to register your pledge.  Click Below to donate right now via PayPal.

(EIA recognizes, of course, that economics can change and you can change your pledge at any time. This is NOT binding, just a simple pledge.)

Or, you can mail in your donation to the following address:

EIA
c/o Guy Engineering
10759 E. Admiral Place
Tulsa, Okla. 74116

Thank you for your generous gift.

Signed,

David Stephenson

Project Update

Most Recent Report June 12-17, 2010

During the week of June 12th to the 17th, 2 water pumps were repaired and a third was inspected, near the town of Concepción. The 2 wells that were worked on are now functional and can dispense potable water. The people in the communities where the wells are located appeared very happy to have access to clean water.

Repairing Pumps

In the first community, San Lucas, the pump was functional and a community leader confirmed that the pumped had been repaired 6 months ago. In the second community, San Miguel de la Cruz, the water pump barely dispensed water. As a result, the cylinder was removed and new seals and springs were installed. After this maintenance, the well was able to pump water at a much faster rate. Finally, in the community of Monte Cristo, the pump was not functional and could not pump water. In order to understand the problem, the tubes, rods, and cylinder were removed from the well. The rods were found to be rusted and the cylinder had rusted springs and corroded seals. These parts were replaced for new ones, and after the pump was reassembled, it was able to dispense water. In conclusion, 3 water pumps have been inspected and maintained so that all 3 are currently operational.

Community Response

Community members were instrumental in work this week, and appeared very grateful to have their wells functional again. In all of the communities that weʼve visited, community members have contributed their time and effort. In the places in which weʼve serviced the water pumps, at least 3 men in each community were willing to assist in the work for the entire day. Often there were men, women, and children that would gather around the well and help in any way that they could.

One women, in Monte Cristo, brought us boiled eggs as a gesture of thanks as she said that this water well meant that she didnʼt have to walk 200 meters for water. In another community, as we finished working on a water well, women and children came to the well with buckets to immediately get potable water.

These small actions suggested to me how much the community valued their functional water well.

Approximate Community Population

San Miguel de la Cruz ~12 familias

Monte Cristo ~27 familias

Conclusion

There are 2 more functional water wells near the town of Concepción as a result of well maintenance last week. In general, the pump problems consisted of rusted rods and corroded seals. On the non-technical side of the project, the mayor of Concepción may have little awareness of the project. As far as the community members near the water wells are concerned, they have been willing to help in well repairs and were very grateful for functional water pumps.

• To improve borehole and water well installation of wells in the Chiquitano
• Maintain and test the existing wells
• Rehabilitate Abandoned Wells
• Create Community Maps for future Water distribution systems utilizing EWB Teams
• Train Municipal Water Technicians in Pump Maintenance and Repair
• Put additional hand pumps on “open-casing” bore holes.

This project alone has the potential to bring potable water to 60,000 people in Bolivia.