The recently formed environmental committee of El Balsamar has decided to start their first project with composting latrines. A composting latrine is a great alternative for El Balsamar because of the abundance in natural water sources. A composting latrine can be built anywhere without contaminating the water or the environment. The committee has worked hard to choose 30 families with the greatest necessity, who will provide manual labor, tools and transportation, who will support and participate in environmental committee activities, and who will attend a training workshop designed by the environmental committee on composting latrines and how to care for them.

With your support, not only will the communtiy benefit from a less contaminated environment and therefore less sicknesses, they will also be better capacitated in other environmental issues, small project design and management, and more participation and support will be provided for a small, brave, hardworking and dedicated environmental committee working always towards environmental consciousness.

If you would like to contribute to this project please click on the link below.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=519-094&region=latinamerica

All donations are tax deductable and will be greatly appreciated.

Background Information:

In Southwestern EL Salvador, Department Sonsonate, Municipality Cuisnahuat exists a lovely and magical place buried deep in more than 1,057 acres of luscious green forests and coffee plantations in which rivers flow abundantly, waterfalls cascade, wild species roam and more that 157 families live and work relying heavily upon natures reasources.

The small community of El Balsamar has lived and worked as a cooperative since 1980. The cooperative manages the coffee plantations and Works in the extraction and process of the resin balsam. Surrounding El Balsamar exists approximately 91 acres of a recently established protected area. Along with FIAES (Initiative Funds for the Americas El Salvador) and the environmental organization GAIA El Salvador, the environmental committee of El Balsamar, made up of 17 members, are working toward protecting and taking care of the Protected Area, organizing and completing cleanup campaigns and maintaining a plasitic and aluminum recycling program in the community. One huge environmental problem that the committee has detected in El Balsamar is the contamination of the rivers due to the lack of latrines in the community or from the latrines that have been dug too closely to fresh springs and rivers where they bathe, wash, and carry drinking water.

Community Need:

In El Balsamar 67 families of 157 do not have any sort of latrine and the majority of families with latrines have latrines that have been dug dangerously close to springs, rivers, and water sources where the people go to carry water to drink and wash. These latrines are contaminating the water that the people drink causing many sicknessess and unhealthy lifestyles. A potable water project is needed as well, but the community has decided to start with latrines, being one of the roots to the water contamination. For those families who do not have any latrines, other sicknesses are prevalent including intestinal infections, due to not using the bathroom when needed because of distance needed to travel or embarrasment of having to go to the woods. Using the bathroom in containers indoors at nighttime for fear of leaving the house for the woods at night is another problem, attracting roaches and other insects.

Therefore, a composting latrine project is highly needed and suggested for such a place where fresh water springs are an abundance. Plus, the compost, if managed properly, can be used on the farmers crops and flowers,cutting back on agricultural expenses and the use of agrochemicals which also contaminate the land and water and cause sicknesses in the community.