Mano a Mano Water Project in March 2019 Rotarian Magazine

Mano a Mano Water Project in March 2019 Rotarian Magazine

One of Mano a Mano’s water projects in Omereque was mentioned in the most recent edition of The Rotarian. The text is below, or you can read a PDF of the March 2019 Rotarian article here.

Write-Up of Rotary’s Project with Mano a Mano in the March 2019 Rotarian Magazine

Omereque Water Projects Started with a Request from the Community to Mano a Mano

Farmers from the Omereque, Bolivia municipality presented a compelling request to our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo in 2016. Its farmers said, “Drought is killing our crops. Please help us with water. We will not waste a drop.”

Together with municipal officials and community leaders, Nuevo Mundo designed a surface well project to assist farmers who live near a river. The surface wells access water that seeps underground from rivers during the dry season. 

Surface Wells

The surface wells consist of digging a well near a river basin.

Wells are lined with cement rings and covered with a solid lid. Pumps are used to extract water to irrigate fields.

Water Ponds

For farmers who do not live near a river, Nuevo Mundo dredged and re-built ponds that farmers had dug but had not been able to filter properly. Their ponds filled with silt and no longer held water.

One of the 140 water ponds improved by Mano a Mano in the Omereque area.

5,200 People Benefit from these Water Projects

The 40 surface wells and 140 farm ponds that we have since built throughout Omereque now provide water for livestock, crops, and household use for about 5,200 people. Farmers tell us that their crop production is doubling. Thanks to generous donations from Rotary Clubs (see the article above) and many individuals, these farm families now have enough to eat.