Waterfilters for Guatemala

Project Details

The services of the Vamos Adelante Foundation provide locals of the more than 24 villages in the region of Esquintla (located halfway betweenGuatemala's capital and the Pacific Coast) with education, health and nutrition.

Vamos Adelante is the only NGO operating in this isolated part of Guatemala. Most of the people in the area have temporary work contracts, harvesting sugar cane and coffee. The average family has five children and illiteracy, malnourishment, parasite-related illness, alcoholism, and other symptoms associated with chronic poverty are widespread.

Waterborne diseases are the primary cause of diarrhea and childhood mortality in countries such as Guatemala. Vamos Adelante emphasizes the importance of purifying drinking water in every household.

In 2008, Vamos Adelante began distributing ecological filters that can purify a 20 liter bucket of water in approximately two hours. This tool eliminates the need to boil water and doesn't require women to spend time maintaining a constant supply of boiled water in the kitchen.