March 21st, 2009

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Building green technologies through Women training for water provision, rural sanitation and environmental protection

Horacio Bonfil SánchezValle de Bravo Basin FundMexico

The Amanalco-Valle de Bravo Basin• 70 000 Ha in surface

• Exports 6m3/s of water to Mexico City and Toluca´s Metropolitan Areas

• Provides water for two million people

• Also an important water supplier for industries

• Part of Neovolcanic Axis Bioregion: 1% of global biodiversity

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map

Some social indicators of Amanalco-Valle de Bravo BasinIndicator Amanalco Valle de Bravo

Population 20 047 57 370

Annual population growth rate % 3.9 4.8

Number of communnities less than 499 inhab.

14 55

Number of houses 4 289 12 518

Number of houses using wood 3 374 (78.6%) 2 673 (21.3%)

% of houses without toilet 61 33

% of houses without sewage 78 32

% of houses with no access to water

30 28,2

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Source: INEGI. National Population Census. 2000.

Among the most important social problems at the Basin are:

• Social indicators below State and National Averages• Extreme poverty in rural communities• Lack of basic public services such as running water and sewage• Health problems: gastric, malnutrition and respiratory illnesses • About 6000 families without basic services of water and/or sanitation

Mexico• 106 Million inhabitants• OECD Member• 50% of its population lives in poverty• 15%-25% lives in extreme poverty

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Water quality in streams and lake. February 2004-2008

Year Fecal Coliforms (UFC/100mL)

Enterococci (UFC/100mL)

2004 975 000 605 000

2005 105 000 2350

2006 11 000 More than 600

2007 More than 11 000 More than 600

2008 More than 11 000 More than 600

FPCVB, 20085

Among the four annual samples, those of February present higher data consistency and reveal punctual pollution in the Basin´s lower part

Most important environmental problems in the Basin

• A reduction in the water amount in rivers and springs

• Non-planned urban growth• Land use change• Soil erosion • A reduction in the quality of

forest that remain in the region

• Deforestation• Wild life habitat

fragmentation and destruction

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The Valle de Bravo Basin Fund (Fondo Pro Cuenca Valle de Bravo)

Local SCO created in January 2000The Board includes Municipalities, State Ministry for the Environment and Federal Ministry for Environment with a majority of civil society representatives.

Holistic Project towards sustainability

Health care

Nutrition

Women capacıty buıldıngand empowerment

Infrastructure Educatıon

Human rıght to water and sanitation

Lıvelihoods

Environmental protection

Objective: To improve livelihoods while protecting the environment with women involvement and participation from phase one of the process

What do we do?

Setting up:• Rain harvesting systems • Dry toilets with urine

diverters• Small water reservoirs• Wood saving stoves• Small kitchen gardens• Digestors (periurban

areas)

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How do we do it?

By working and training villages’ women because:

Women are the primary stakeholders in water and sanitation sectorsGender consıderations are at the heart of providıng, using and preserving

water resourcesTime spent in water provision and wood harvesting

Through a planning process that starts at community or village level. Participation is never compulsory but always out

of good will.

How we do it?• Women decide –from a variety of green technologies that we can train them to set up and

partially finance- what is important for them according to their needs. The most important part of to project: to assure female appropriation of devices

• Weekly visits by our monitors (mostly women trained in early years of the project) to demonstrate weekly stages for constructing green technology devices

• Women learn the procces of autoconstruction of sanitation, wood savıng, agriculture and water provision devices.

• At the end of a 4-6 months training process, they build the infrastructure and are fully capable of using, repairing and replicating devices.

• Ownership is achieved.

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Water provision systems

Rain Water harvesting systems Small water reservoir

• Set up in communities with occasional water supply

• 1500 Lt ferro-concrete reservoirs• Laundry and dish washers

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Better health for all Reduction of water pollution

Better services provision Reduction on highly demanding water harvesting work

•10000 Lt cisterns with rain roof caption system and a simple- but efficient after-use treatment device

•Come with small water reservoir and rope pump

Results

The kitchen level

Small Kitchen Gardens

• 1X10 m rustic greenhouse• 15 varieties of vegetables• The most important green

technology for health and environmental education.

• Improves nutritional levels

Wood-saving stoves• Reduce indoor pollution and therefore

respiratory illnesses • Reduce time and physically extremely

demanding work on wood harvesting• Reduce pressure on ecosystems• Save up to 2.2 tons of wood per year

and family• Improve health for all• Improve women dignity

Sustainable Sanitation System

Dry toilet with urine diverter

• Human dignity, quality of life and environmental security must be at the core of any sanitation approach

• Decision making must involve participation of stakeholders, especially women

Results

• Better health for all• Better services provision• More privacy and security for

women• Reduction of water pollution• Basic sanitation at family level

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Results as of December 2008

• Green technologies in 50 communities or small villages (25% of total).• Public, private and local financing• Cost for training and construction material for all devices per family $1300

USD (EUR 1000) / six months

In the last five years, 1016 families have profitted from the project

Results as of December 2008

In the last five years, 1016 families have profitted from the project

Next steps

• Community level water quality assesment

• Monitoring of all devices set up ın the past five years

• Wood savıng assesment• 600 women trainned each year• In 8 years we can achieve total

sanitation and water provision in the basin

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Divides that were bridged• Communities’ deeply rooted distrust • Lack of basic skills in building these technologies• Lack of Government interest at local and federal levels• Short term scenarios: OSC and community involvements last longer than

Government administrations. This allows for a long term social and environmental process to occur.

• Almost complete absence of funding for water provision and sustainable sanitation in rural areas of Central Mexico

• Women empowerment• Capacity building• Private sector investement in a low budget scenario in Government´s

gender programs

Most important results

• 1016 families have been part of the project as well as 3 schools and one health centre

• The project offers a viable strategy to tackle basic sanitation and water issues in a sustainable way.

• Female participation is the key point in appropriation of the devices. Long term sustainability relies on women’s participation and the solution of their needs. This is also true for replicability.

• Mixed funding from Governments, private and social sector

Acknowledgements

Government sector Private Sector Social SectorNational Water Commission FEMSA Foundation Our individual donors

State Ministries for Environment and Social Development

Pedro y Elena Hernandez Foundation Our Staff

State Institute for Health Grupo Modelo Foundation Women in communities and villages in Valle de Bravo-Amanalco Basin

Municipality of Amanalco SC Johnson and Son Mexico

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TEŞEKKÜR EDERİM