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On a small bluff overlooking the Pastaza River sits a small indigenous community of called Santa Ana. The indigenous language, culture and traditions are still very strong; most families continue to make their livings by fishing and their chakras, a form of traditional sustainable agriculture. They get their water from rain barrels or nearby streams but these sources are both unreliable and unsafe. Santa Ana has been working for years to get a potable water system up and running. Most of the infrastructure is in place, but they continue to face many challenges due the climate and lack of resources.
As the main care-givers and water providers for their families, the women of Santa Ana have set up a cooperative to produce and sell their traditional ceramics and jewelry to fund the water system.
Latest Update
In the most recent trip during January of 2008, Kendra and Fernando saw Santa Ana really take ownership of the system, with the whole community applying their creativity and ingenuity to keep the system running. Although the system still has many flaws, the coliform tests Kendra and Fernando conducted at the end of the trip indicated that the community finally had access to a regular supply of clean, potable water. As part of the same trip, Tera and Kendra started the Art for Water program by purchasing a first round of ceramics and jewelry from each and every woman who wanted to participate. Some of the income the women received has already gone into the water system in the form of monthly payments to the water board, and the profits made from sales in the United States will soon become available for investing in long-term improvements. See the “Water System” and “Art for Water” for an updated report on the status of both of these aspects of the program.
