Location
Caserio La Joya, Canton Casa Blanca de Talchiga, Municipio de Perquin,
Morazan, El Salvador
Community Description
La Joya is located in the northeast mountains of El Salvador, in the department of Morazán, about 200 kilometers from the capital of San Salvador. It is 11 kilometers from the town of Perquín and was badly affected by the civil war, which ended in 1992.
The communities in and around La Joya were deserted during the 12-year civil war and have been slow to recover. They are presently lacking in infrastructure, education, and economic activities.
The caserio of La Joya, one of the poorest communities in the country, has been largely overlooked because of the small population and its relatively isolated location.
The land is characterized by poor quality soil, which allows for few crops to be grown. There are pine trees, but due to the logging activity, the forests have been left decimated and much of the soil has been eroded.
There are accessible roads to the caserio. However, there is no public transportation in and out of the community, creating a feeling of isolation in many of the residents.
Currently, the village consists of 29 homes, 179 inhabitants. Although there is a potable water system in place for 13 homes, 16 families still retrieve their water directly, unfiltered, from one of the peripheral springs near the community. Water during the rainy season is plentiful. However, during the dry season, many families do without or carry their water over long distances.
Project Description
This project will provide a central point for potable water for presently unserved members of the community. A hub will be located at the school, located in the northern extremity of the southernmost section of the community, and will allow each family to eventually connect a fixed line to their homes. In the interim, there will be a spigot from which community members can draw their water to bring to their homes.
Each household will contribute the manual labor (digging trenches, laying and connecting water lines) and will lay the pipe from the school to a central point equidistant from their homes.
Project Impact
9 families and 40 people will directly benefit by gaining access to clean water.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Jim Hooper and Linsey Hackett
Comments
This project gives immediate relief to families that presently do not have access to safe water. It builds upon an existing system and accomplishes a realistic goal.
There is full community participation, and the project is recognized as an essential extension to a functioning water system.
The successful completion of this segment suggests a follow-up project that will afford the remaining unserved portion of the community needed access.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Hope You Like It, “In Honor of Faith, Hope, and Love”, with the help of Jim and Linsey’s friends.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteers Jim Hooper and Linsey Hackett of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Jim and Linsey and/or those of their counterpart PCVs in El Salvador.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.