{"id":1432,"date":"2019-12-16T21:19:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T21:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guatemala.waterforpeople.org\/2019\/12\/16\/a-bold-leader-can-change-everything\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T19:38:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:38:56","slug":"a-bold-leader-can-change-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guatemala.waterforpeople.org\/en\/2019\/12\/16\/a-bold-leader-can-change-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bold Leader Can Change Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

At first glance, petite Santana might not look strong and outspoken, but she is. She might not look like a skilled technician who can repair her local water system, but she can. Despite her small stature, her neighbors would probably use the word \"bold\" to describe her. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says her youth was hard. Her dad had a drinking problem and didn\u2019t support the family financially. But, hers is not a sad story. In fact, it\u2019s quite the opposite. Santana was inspired by her father\u2019s shortcomings to become the best possible mother she could be. For her, that meant bringing clean water to her entire community. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Santana was born in Lagunitas, in the district of Santa Cruz del Quich\u00e9. It\u2019s a rural village in the far north of Guatemala, close to the Mexico border. Her childhood memories include people carrying water in bottles from unprotected wells and contaminated rivers. She recalls that kids would often have diarrhea, gastrointestinal issues, and parasites \u2013 the result of drinking this dirty water. They also didn\u2019t have enough water to wash their hands before eating, and most of the community lacked access to proper toilets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, she knew her community needed better access to\nsafe water, but it was when her children reached school age that she knew she\nhad to act. To her great frustration, she was unable to provide her kids a\nsnack, or refacci\u00f3n<\/em>. In Lagunitas,\nthe most common refacci\u00f3n<\/em> is a drink\nthat requires water. She soon learned she was not alone in this challenge. The\nother mothers also struggled to provide this snack because there wasn\u2019t enough\nwater. And the water that was available was dirty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I knew my community needed access to water, so I searched for an institution that could provide assistance,\" explains Santana. She eventually found the Water For People office and connected with the lead engineer who explained that the organization could help if the community was able to co-invest in the project. Many people were opposed to the idea and did not want to contribute time or money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Even though it took me a long time to persuade the community members to jump on board, I knew it was worth it when I saw how children and mothers were suffering from the lack of clean water,\" Santana says. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After four years of trying to persuade her community and explaining the benefits of access to clean water, the community members eventually followed Santana\u2019s lead and organized to make the project a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A three-way partnership was established with\nthe municipality providing funding and construction managers, Water For People covering\nthe cost of the construction materials, and the local community helping with manual\nlabor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Many people think that accomplishing a project like this is easy when in reality, it is very difficult. Challenges arose with finding the right water source, coordinating the labor and materials, working around difficult terrain, and motivating community members,\" explains Santana, who ultimately led the community side of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within two years, Water For People helped connect\nthe community with a clean water source by installing 35 connections in homes\nand at the school, and providing infrastructure for water purification. Additionally,\ntoilets were installed, and the community members took part in educational\ntrainings to learn better hygiene practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Before, it was very risky to drink water in the community,\" reflects Santana. \"Now I feel very happy when I see children drink water directly from the faucet because I know it is purified.\"<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although construction of the project is\ncomplete, the work is far from over. \"There are now five community members,\nincluding me, who are in charge of maintaining the pipes and facilities.\nThrough this work, I continue to lead my community and make sure that we\ncontinue to learn about the importance of caring and appreciating the value of\nwater\" she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Santana feels grateful for the chance to lead\nher community into a better future. \"It\u2019s a shame that my father did not know\nthe importance of sanitation or of having accessible water,\" she says\nwistfully. \"But I\u2019m grateful that I have been able to advocate for change that\nbenefits my home, my family, and my community.\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, this bold woman changed everything for her community. Change that will last for generations to come. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

See how you too can change everything.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At first glance, petite Santana might not look strong and outspoken, but she is. She might not look like a skilled technician who can repair her local water system, but she can. 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