“The project is due to have a significant impact, socially, economically and environmentally”
Dianova in Switzerland and the Emilio Moro Foundation have funded jointly a project to provide Dianova’s Integral Education Center (Nicaragua) with sustainable access to safe drinking water and accordingly improve the quality of life and health conditions of the 438 members of the educational community (students and personnel), not to mention the indirect beneficiaries, i.e. their family members, for a total number of more than a thousand people. The project has been completed for a total amounting to 128,000 dollars, significantly less that the initial budget of 136,430 dollars.
“The project has been implemented after the water had been cut off on many occasions by the regional distributor in the Carazo Region. Our school had access to running water only three days a week and despite the measures we had taken, it was almost impossible to ensure adequate conditions in terms of hygiene and food preparation” stressed Rafael Guerreo, Director General of Dianova Nicaragua.
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly has explicitly recognized access to quality water and sanitation as “a human right which is in itself essential for life and dignity and the foundation for achieving a wealth of other human rights”. At that time, the UN pointed out that nearly 900 million people still.
The project was developed in two stages, under the supervision of an engineer and according to the technical specifications and standards set by Dianova and by competent authorities for water management. Phase 1, from July 2012 to January 2013, was first dedicated to obtaining permits from the various local and national authorities, to the drilling of the well by a company specializing in this field, and finally to the construction of a pumping station.
Phase 2 was initiated in April 2014 and was completed this last August, with the installation of a storage tank, pipelines and an irrigation system which will enable the Dianova school to dedicate itself fully to the teaching of agricultural and forestry techniques. In addition, the educational community was made aware of the need to adequately manage freshwater resources and to follow good hygiene practices.
“The project is certainly due to have a significant impact, socially, economically and environmentally” said Guerrero. “Socially, a permanent access to quality drinking water is a huge improvement for the school community, especially in terms of personal hygiene and food preparation (…) Economically, we’ll now be able to produce crops all year long, for our own consumption or for resale. Finally, the environmental impact is undeniable, because we now rely on groundwater resources (…)”
The Dianova school is partly funded by the Hotel Europeo in Managua, a solidarity project run by Dianova. You too can help Nicaragua’s local and community development by visiting the country through a responsible tourism project developed by Dianova and Rutas Escondidas – For more information, please click here
