There are 3 main "players" involved in the process of bringing these water projects to the communities in the Municipality of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico.
* Cedesa - provide the technical expertise, & organisational skills.
* Rotary - hosts the projects & funds the materials & minimal consulting costs.
* The Communities - do all the work, organising & constructing & continuing to maintain the water collection systems (cisterns & piping).
HOW DOES IT START?
The Communities approach Rotary/Cedesa via word of mouth & proof of concept from other communities (namely Los Torres).
They are invited to attend assemblies at the first project site - Los Torres - to learn about the process.
The Los Torres community tells them what they need to know.
After attending several assemblies Community representatives do a survey of people in their own community. They create a list of who are interested. To join the list members are made aware of their obligations of participation & construction.
Once they have a list together, & have done their job of spreading the information, the new community representatives co-ordinate an assembly in their own community.
THE PROCESS CONTINUES IN THIS WAY:
Monthly assemblies are planned.
At each assembly Chela (Cedesa) teaches the basics of running an assembly/meeting.
* Elect a co-ordinator & a record taker for each meeting,
* record attendance,
* call for an agenda,
* prioritise the agenda,
* & work through the points raised (including follow-up of action points from previous meetings).
Planning of the water project involves, creating a definitive list of families wishing to participate.
Each family (representative) must commit to
* attending all of the meetings,
* attend the demonstration/pilot construction days (4 of them) to learn the technical skills required to then build their own cisterns,
* & then be prepared to work in groups of approx 6 families to construct all of the cisterns for all of the families in that group (co-operatively).
PILOT PROJECT FIRST
Once the list of families is cemented, (& funding is applied for & received!), the list divides into groups of approx 6 to 8 families.
These groups will work co-operatively together to construct all of the cisterns for all of the families in their group.
2 leaders are appointed, the "go-to" people for each group.
A pilot demonstration build is planned - usually in a communal place, eg Kindergarten or primary school.
The demonstration takes 4 days to complete, & during those 4 days they construct the first cistern.
This demonstration serves as a train the trainers event, & each group is expected to be represented by at least 2 people who are able to attend all 4 days & hence learn the process from beginning to end.
INDIVIDUAL FAMILY CISTERNS NEXT:
Once the pilot is completed, the groups are ready to build their own cisterns.
The materials for the cistern consist of a list of standard materials, eg cement, mesh, chicken wire etc, & also a list of variable materials, eg pvc piping, pvc elbows etc depending on the location of the cistern in relation to the roof.
Each family creates a list of requirements of piping, & elbows.
The Technician in charge of the project, goes with each of the families house by house to check the measurements. He also asks the families where they wish to receive the materials when they are delivered.
He collates the list of variables into one order, & places that order with the list of standard materials (x the number of cisterns), along with delivery instructions, with the agreed supplier (who Rotary pays upon placement of order).
Once the order is placed, & paid for the materials are delivered, either to each household, or central delivery points & collected by families...
When the materials are delivered the work begins.
The groups can choose to either build one cistern at a time - which takes 4 days, & then start the next one. Or they can build more than 1 cistern at once, doing each of the phases simultaneously, ie have 3 cisterns being built at once, go from house to house to do each stage, before starting on the next stage...
We continue to meet monthly (or 2 wkly if necessary) to review progress, discuss & resolve issues & keep momentum going.
The technician is available for troubleshooting during the construction process, usually for 1 day per group, to solve any issues or answer any questions that have arisen...
At the completion of all the cisterns a celebration is planned.
