Programs / Water / Communities / El Ocote «

 

About El Ocote

El Ocote is a community in the municipality of San Juan de Flores in the

department of Francisco Morazán in central Honduras. There are

approximately 270 people residing in 54 houses. Community members in El

Ocote could obtain enough water to meet their basic needs, meaning that

they had to forgo many basic hygiene and sanitation practices. Thus, common

colds, skin rashes, parasites, and diarrheal diseases plagued community

members. Moreover, few homes have concrete floors, proper functioning

latrines, adequate water storage, or efficient stoves with chimneys, which

further exacerbates their health problems. The closest health center is in San

Juan de Flores, which is a one and a half hour walk from El Ocote. It is not

consistently staffed by a doctor nor stocked with an adequate supply of

medicine. In regards to education, the closest secondary school is located in

San Juan de Flores; school is only offered until 6th grade in El Ocote. Many

students consequently leave school and begin working to support their families

after completing 6th grade. Like their parents, they often work in agriculture,

raising corn and beans for subsistence.

 

El Ocote's Water Challenge

Prior to Global Brigades' arrival in the community, El Ocote had a centralized

water system, but it was not large enough to meet the community’s needs. The

system utilized a well situated 800 meters from the community. The well only

provided 2.6 gallons of water per minute in the summer. It consequently took

more than 20 hours to fill the 3,000 gallon storage tank serving the community.

Thus, community members only had access to water for roughly twenty minutes each day. Without an adequate supply of water, community members had to forgo many basic hygiene andsanitation practices that would have protected their health. Yet, they still paid a water fee of 15 Lempiras or US $0.75 each month despite the subpar service. 

 

Further endangering their health, few community members consumed treated water. There was no centralized treatment plan and the existing storage tank was not equipped with a chlorinator to treat the water prior to consuming it. Moreover, few families treated their water at home. They did not boil their water nor use any chemical solutions.

 

 

The Water Solution for El Ocote

Water Brigaders from several different universities worked in El Ocote from August 2014 to November 2014. Throughout this time, volunteers will work with community members to:
     •  Build 2 dams at 2 different sources
     •  Construct a 10,000 gallon storage tank with chlorinator
     •  Dig approximately 10,000 meters of trench and lay

         pipeline
     •  Connect approximately 62 houses, 2 churches, and 1

        school
     •  Provide educational seminars to children in the community

        on water and health related topics

 

To ensure the sustainability of the project, a new seven member Water Council was established and trained by Water Brigades in addition to a Basic Sanitation Committee also trained by Water Brigades.

                                                                                            

When Water Brigades first approached the community of  El Ocote a dire water need was observed. The existing system could not meet community needs and community members recognized the need to construct a new system. They immediately demonstrated their desire for water through their collaboration and dedication to the project.

                                                                                           

 

 

Water Brigades Chapters that Worked in El Ocote
Water Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers
Miami Professionals	August 2014	5
University of New Brunswick	August 2014	15
Cal Poly Pomona	September 2014	8
Dublin City University	November 2014	21

 

 

Current Status

COMPLETED
Community members, the Global Brigades Water Team, and student volunteers finished construction of a centralized water system in El Ocote. Construction began in the summer of 2014 and  the system was turned on in November 2014.

 

Visit Other Programs in El Ocote

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in El Ocote:

Medical Dental   CHW Engineering MicrofinancePublic Health  BusinessArchitecture