Global Brigades Supplemental Programming – Small Contributions; HUGE Impact!
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The “supplementary programs” strengthen sustainability and deepen community impact
between brigades. Each Program Lead is responsible for working with community members, local technicians, and committees of campus chair people (student leaders) to develop these programs. At the end of the year, Global Brigades distributes any remaining funds to implement them. As a social enterprise, remaining funds are directly tied to number of volunteers, but this year we are offering donors the opportunity to contribute directly into these programs to ensure that they continue regardless of volunteer volume.
100% of your donation will go directly to implement these programs without a single dollar spent on administrative costs, which are already covered through brigade operations. This is an opportunity to provide direct contributions into the community we serve, creating huge impact for families that live on just a few dollars a day.
Below is a description of the supplementary program for Water Brigades. To see the other programs, click on the program name here: Architecture, Business, Dental, Environment, Law, Medical, Microfinance, Public Health.
Water Brigades – Well/Pump Systems
Water Brigades has finished five full scale water systems in communities in rural Honduras. The type of system which a community requires depends on the water sources available in or surrounding their community. In the region where Global Brigades works in Honduras, two types of water sources and systems are the most common, gravity based systems and well/pump systems. We are proposing to provide supplemental funding for well/pump systems.
Well and pump systems are used when a gravity solution is not feasible. As opposed to using surface water as a source like a gravity system, well/pump systems use groundwater as their water source. Groundwater is simply water that is constantly present underneath the earth’s surface and is recharged by rain. In order for a community to access groundwater, a well must be drilled, a pump must be installed, and water needs to be pumped to the surface for use. Drilling a well and purchasing/installing a pump both require highly specialized labor and equipment. The result is that there is a high startup cost for well/pump systems. An investment must be made into the project to access the water before volunteers and community members can construct the remainder of the system.
Priority Communities
Along with other Global Brigades Honduras programs and our Research and Evaluation team, Water Brigades established a list of priority communities. All Global Brigades Honduras communities were evaluated, and the priority communities were chosen based on an analysis of many factors, including: water access, public health, education, socio-economic status, etc. Initially, fifteen priority communities were established. The following is a list of those communities:
Project Goal
To make this project a reality, our goal is to have $25,000 at the end of the year to provide access to water* to 550 people who are in need of well/pump systems.
Funds would be used to make the initial investment necessary to drill a well and install a pump in a community that must use groundwater as a water source AND invest in the completion of the remainder of the system.
*People provided access to clean water is based on average community size
