Candelaria School Pump Project – El Salvador

Community Description
Candelaria is a rural town in northeast El Salvador in the department of Morazan. It has a population of about 1000, and an economy based on small-scale farming and cattle.

Within the community there is a school for kindergarten to ninth grade, Centro Escolar Canton Candelaria Codigo 13291, that currently has 213 students attending.

The pump for the well that supplies the water for the school has recently ceased to function due to corrosion. The well has plenty of good water but now without the pump the school has had to open the top and take out water with buckets and a rope.

The current situation is very unsafe for the kids as they take out water for the basic needs of the school, including hand washing, cooking, and cleaning. It also puts the water supply at risk of becoming contaminated by debris.

Project Description
This project is to install a new electric pump, new tubes (PCV instead of metal to prevent corrosion), and wiring. The water will be piped to the spigots at the bathrooms, and the well will be resealed with cement.

Project Impact
213 students and 6 teachers will benefit from this project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Adam Keough

Comments
This is an important project to maintain the quality of water in the well and to ensure the health and safety of the students.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$500.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 - This project has now been fully funded, through the generosity of Six Senses Resorts & Spas as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify the Peace Corps Volunteer of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by this PCV or those of other PCVs in the host country.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.

Conclusion of Candelaria School Pump Project – El Salvador

This project has been successfully completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Adam Keough. To see the history of the project CLICK HERE.

Adam reports:

Our project was to install a new pump in an existing well that would provide water for the local school.

First we removed an old hand pump that had rusted out and stopped working. Once the old pump was removed we found that there was still plenty of good water to be had in the well.

Our plan was to buy a new submersible electric pump that would draw water directly to the faucets located on the outside of the bathrooms.

We proceeded to buy the materials: pump, tubing, electrical wire, switch box, and completed the installation the same day.

We sealed the well with concrete to protect the water quality and insure that there was no risk of a child falling into an open well.

The completed project pumped water to two faucets in the school bathrooms. This is where children wash their hands and where they gather water for all the schools cleaning and cooking needs.

Adam reports on how the project was received:

The community is very pleased with the results of the project. It will provide a consistent source of clean water for the local school. It will also mean less work for the children as they will not have to haul water from the pump to the bathrooms to do the daily cleaning, leaving them with more time to focus on their school work.

We again wish to thank Six Senses Resorts & Spas for providing the funds for this project.