Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in 12 Guatemalan Highland communities. This proposal will strengthen the current Caritas Quiche (CQ) projects funded by CAFOD and Misereor, scaling up our partner’s capacity and coverage in response to the huge deficit in provision of safe water services, sanitation infrastructure and adequate hygiene practices. To illustrate this deficit, the data from El Quiché Department shows an average of 54% of dwellings are without a safe water supply, 47% without latrines and 62% of the population do not practise good hygiene. 
This proposal builds on significant partner experience and capacity, working in one of the most remote and isolated regions in Guatemala.  Caritas Quiché is a pioneer in the field of water provision and sanitation / hygiene and has an impressive track record of enabling local communities to improve their living conditions.  The objective of serving women’s needs as a priority will be strengthened by the programme’s participation in the wider programme.
The project will target: improved water and sanitation services, better practices and use of water management, storing and protection of water sources within the communities and their surroundings, elimination of pollution at drinking water sources, and promote equity between men and women.
Concretely, this project will improve the health and living conditions of 2,635 households, around 15,810 people (7,481 men, 8,379 women) in 12 rural communities: 100% of whom lack safe drinking water services and sanitation facilities. The project will give special attention to women-headed households to provide greater quality of life and to promote and enhance women’s participation during project implementation and improve its sustainability. Also it will work with the community members to improve environmental and health practices – including management of waste waters, construction of dry composting latrines, awareness raising of preventative health practices, water and soil conservation. The key grassroots organization ; the Local Development Committees (COCODE) will be strengthened so as to ensure that they serve the development needs and priorities of the local community and duly represent their demands so as to influence relevant structures at municipal level. This project has clear outputs about gender issues. First to be addressed will be at the CQ institutional team level to improve their knowledge about gender topics and raise awareness about women’s participation in the water projects. At the CAFOD gender mainstreaming level, 18 participants from 6 Guatemalan partners, including from Caritas Quiché will participate in an annual workshop at the decision-making level. Caritas Quiché is one of six Guatemalan partners working together to monitor the implementation of the gender mainstreaming process. 
Caritas Quiché has built up great capacity and experience as a result of nineteen years of working in this field. CAFOD’s first support was via the Maryknoll sisters who worked in health programmes throughout Guatemala and then for this specific programme, directly with Caritas Quiché for the provision of safe water, a project first funded in 1995. During these past nineteen years Caritas Quiché has succeeded in many achievements: 202 piped water systems built, 1,528 latrines constructed benefiting 13,884 people, around 83,304 people  (39,153 men and 44,151 women), The principal funding agencies have been: CAFOD, Misereor, Global Partners Running Waters Inc, and Hope International Canada. Currently the project (GUA136) jointly funded by CAFOD and Misereor is targeting 2,385 households. The current funding cycle started in 2011 and is due to end in 2013. The partner has great capacity and significant experience, including in-house topographical mapping,  in the planning and design of water systems without the need to bring in external engineers,  as well as in cost calculation and management  and finally, in implementation and construction of piped water systems. Most of these systems use appropriate gravity-based technologies, taking water from natural sources and springs. Thus the systems have important advantages:  protecting natural resources, using simple technology which is easy to maintain and reduced operating costs. This is reflected in U$ 135 per beneficiary against U$ 500 per beneficiary spend by other International NGOs.  The programme has featured prominently in CAFOD’s “World Gifts” fundraising efforts.