August 2010
The Alliance was launched in Managua, Nicaragua, with regional representatives attending from USAID, Catholic Relief Services and other local relief organizations. The Alliance team already has well-established partnerships with local NGOs and municipal governments in the targeted regions. While the actual beneficiaries will depend on which communities are most affected by natural hazards, priority will be given to the most vulnerable groups within the regions.
Following the launch event, 4th Sector Health and P&G representatives took a bumpy ride north of Managua to the rural village of El Boqueron, a community of about 400 people living in 60 wooden huts without indoor plumbing or water access. Ramona Roque, a mother of three, showed her four large water containers —the daily supply for cooking, drinking and washing —next to her mud oven. Ramona walks half an hour to a spring in rocky outcrop on the mountain to collect water three times a day. Community members have developed a schedule for obtaining water at the spring to avoid waiting for their daily supply. When rainy season arrives, communities like El Boqueron are affected by floods that make it difficult to reach a clean water source. During these emergencies, they must access water from dirty streams which may be contaminated and unsafe to drink from. Having a community supply of PUR ready when disasters strike will ensure that Boqueron has the ability to clean and purify their water.