PaPa Association and PaPa-Japan Make Contribution to Water Charity

The first in a series of Water Charity’s Ferro Cement Water Tank projects in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti was completed with the assistance of the Panamerican-Panafrican Association (the PaPa) through a donation of its affiliate organization, PaPa-Japan and its President, Kazuo Yano. Water Charity implements practical solutions to provide safe water, effective sanitation, and meaningful health resources to those in need. (See  http://watercharity.org/node/181)

As part of Water Charity’s “Appropriate Project Initiative,”  this effort called for the construction of an 11,000 liter ferro-cement tank for water storage in the community of Los Uveros, Altimara, Dominican Republic. Suffering from lack of potable water, the residents of the community had been forced to walk long distances for water that was often contaminated, resulting in severe illnesses. Water Charity requested the assistance of the Peace Corps and other organizations to help with the project that now serves 110 people and 42 houses.

The ferro-cement water tank in Los Uveros in the Dominican Republic was completed. The project has also served as a training ground for several Haitians who built the Acul des Pins Ferro-Cement Tank in Haiti. There are currently two other ferro-cement projects in the Dominican Republic that are modeled after the Los Uveros project. Water Charity has secured funding for the second project, but the third, La Colorada Arriba Water System Tank Project – Dominican Republic is yet to be funded. It calls for the construction of a 50,000 liter ferro-cement tank for water storage to serve the community of La Colorada Arriba, Dominican Republic. It is the largest and most ambitious undertaking, and offers significant economies of scale as a result.

According to Water Charity, the construction of the tanks was undertaken because of the initiative and guidance of Tim McFarren who has been associated with Peace Corps for 30 years in Bolivia and more recently in the Dominican Republic. It was his work on sustainable technologies that inspired the PaPa and PaPa-Japan to contribute to the important work of Water Charity. The PaPa and PaPa-Japan have collaborated for over a decade on many projects to improve the lives of people throughout the world through sustainable technologies.