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| The Circuit Rider Program in Central America |
How We Work?
Since 1990, the New Forests
Project has been involved in a Clean Water
Initiative to bring clean drinking water to
communities in need in rural Central America.
Rather than building water infrastructure, New
Forests Project focuses on empowering people to
take the lead on building and operating their
own water systems. |
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| Background |
Today, many rural
communities in Central America have access to
some sort of water systems infrastructure thanks
to investments made by national and
international aid institutions. However, these
communities often lack the appropriate technical
skills to operate the water systems properly
creating a situation where either water systems
are abandoned or poorly managed. As a result,
most of this valuable infrastructure has fallen
into disrepair, raising serious public health
concerns, especially for youth and elderly
populations who are generally the most
vulnerable to gastrointestinal diseases.
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The New Forests Project, in collaboration with The Asociacion Hondurena de Juntas Administradoras de Sistemas de Agua (AHJASA, the Honduran Association of Water Boards for the Management of Water Systems) and the International rural Water Association (IRWA)
has developed a program to address the problem of
poor water infrastructure from a holistic perspective. This program is based on the Circuit Rider Model and has created successful and self-sufficient rural water boards in Central America.
The Circuit Rider program is modeled after the
community-based and extremely successful Clean
Water Circuit Rider program instituted by the
National Rural Water Association over 25 years ago
in the United States. In this tradition, qualified
individuals (traditionally doctors, judges and
ministers) travel from community to community,
providing essential services in areas such as
water and sanitation. In Honduras, for example,
the Circuit Rider for rural community water
systems regularly visits several communities in his/her
district of responsibility. During these visits,
the Circuit Riders meet with the community waterboards to discuss problems and track progress in the administration of their water systems; check the water system to inspect any technical matters; double-check the financial records to verify financial sustainability; and meet with the community at large to ensure local involvement. |
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Impact The implementation of the program in Honduras resulted in increased grassroots participation through community-based associations, regional water associations, and the national association: The Honduran Association of Management Boards of Water Systems (AHJASA). This model quickly expanded to El Salvador where ASSA (Asociación Salvadoreña de Sistemas de Agua) was created after the 2001 earthquake. In just eight years the Circuit Rider Program has spread to 545 communities throughout Honduras and El Salvador, and provides more than 400,000 people with clean drinking water and the chance for a healthier life.
Successes of the Circuit Rider
Program in Honduras (1990-today):
- Provision of services
to 700,000 inhabitants in 670 rural
communities (2007)
Organization of nine National Conferences on
water and sanitation in Honduras, bringing
together local water associations and
organizations to share information, network,
and increase collaboration.
Construction of the Nacaome Training Center
located on the Panamerican Highway with easy
access from El Salvador and Nicaragua
Creation of the Chlorine Bank Program
Installation of 500+ manual pumps and the
upgrading of 520 water disinfecting systems
Training of 4,000 water operators
Increased coordination between international
and national water organizations including
municipalities, NGO’s such as CARE (USA), IRWA
(USA), Trocaire (Irland), COSUDE
(Switzerland), RAHSON (Central America)
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Get Involved
The generous
contributions of donors and volunteers alike are
integral to the success of NFP's efforts to bring
clean reliable water to poor rural communities in
Central America. However they choose to
help--through a donation or by taking part in
volunteer opportunities--they are making a real
difference in the lives of thousands of world
citizens. You can be one of them! Please help!! |
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Our audited financial statement and IRS 990 are available to the public. If you have any questions, comments or want additional information please send us an email. Please browse our webpage to learn more about our projects and how trees and water affect our environment and everyday lives.
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New Forest Project
1025 Vermont Avenue, NW 7th Floor Washington, DC 20005 |
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