Supporting our partner communities in the planning and implementation of vital infrastructure projects is a key element of our integrated strategy to community development. Construction of community-scale potable water systems, like those currently underway in communities like Xecoxol in Tecpán and Xenotox in Comalapa, afford families access to clean, drinkable water in their homes. This not only significantly reduces the risk of contracting gastrointestinal illnesses, but also frees up time for families that would otherwise be used collecting and carrying water to the home from a distant water source. Installation of gray-water filters, currently being set up in communities like Xecoxol, Tecpán, serve as a simple and effective means to filter contaminated water, reduce pollutants, and mitigate the risk of spreading water-borne diseases. Building latrines, like those presently being assembled in Paquixic, Comalapa, reduce the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses that can have a serious effect on the nutrition of children in the community. Providing wood-conserving cookstoves and smokestacks, now being built in Tonajuyú, Chimaltenango, reduces the amount of firewood a family consumes and ensures that smoke is expelled outside of the kitchen to reduce the risk of contracting respiratory illnesses from smoke inhalation. Each of all of these projects work hand-in-hand to significantly improve the health and nutritional statuses of participants in our partner communities, which bring us closer to eliminating chronic childhood malnutrition in Chimaltenango. The work that ALDEA does wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous amount of support we receive from our donors and our community partners in Guatemala, thanks to all that keep our programs advancing and our partner communities thriving!
