WATER & SANITATION

 900,000 Nicaraguan's have poor sanitation and low levels of access to safe water. Water-related diseases have become prevalent, deterring economic growth, and impeding children from attending school. 

The Objective

We provide communities with water and sanitation systems that will improve their living conditions, reduce diseases caused by the ingestion of contaminated water, and improve access to clean water.

Our Approach

Given the complex nature of water and sanitation issues across Nicaragua, we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, we adapt our projects to meet the particular needs of the communities we serve. Through our projects, we build wells, sanitation facilities, install tap stands, and provide water filtration and rainwater collection systems.

The Results

Over the past 26 years, we have built 149 water wells and 11,181 sanitation facilities. More than 9,700 households connected to clean water systems by installing tap stands and 105,000 people benefited through our water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives.

What have we achieved in 2018?

24 water wells

functioning, benefiting +900 people

711 sanitations facilites

built, benefiting +4,200 people

+730 water tap

installed, benefiting +4,400 people

Community-managed water wells

In rural areas without access to freshwater resources such as lakes, rivers, or springs, we perforate deep water wells and install the piping required to pump water up into a water tank and then into running water access points.

Ceramic water filters

When rural communities do have access to freshwater resources, but these are contaminated and unsafe, we provide each family with a low-cost, locally-made ceramic water filter that eliminates over 99% of bacteria and disease.

Rainwater harvesting

For people living in extremely water-scarce areas such as remote hillside communities or on the slopes of volcanoes, we partner with local organizations to build large, closed, ferrocement tanks especially designed to let rainwater in but keep the disease and mosquitoes out.

Spotlight Stories

Reyna

Reyna is an indigenous Chorotega woman who lives in Las Chilcas, community of Madriz. To gather water for her home and crops, she used to walk 5km with buckets in hand. In 2018, ANF and the Australian Embassy supported 30 woman with a rainwater collection system to facilitate access to clean water.

Alma Iris

Alma Iris had to carry water from a well located 500mts from her house and wait long lines. ANF and Fundación FEMSA provided the entire community with better access to clean water 24 hours a day.

Adalila

Adalila had to fill six containers with water to drink, bathe her six-month old baby girl, and use for cooking. Water reached her community every two days for two hours. ANF provided the community with public water taps that receive water for four hours each day. This community experienced a significant improvement in personal hygiene and health through better access to water.