Safe Drinking Water for Rural Ecuadorian Nurseries

The water filter project aims to ensure safe drinking water, reducing illness and supporting better physical and mental development in children.

According to the San Juan health centre, gastrointestinal diseases are widespread. Up to 80 % of children in nurseries suffer from malnutrition, largely caused by diarrhoea, dysentery, and parasitosis due to parasites and bacteria in the drinking water. 

Water contamination is linked to local agriculture, especially cattle manure and erosion sediments during the rainy season. The use of pesticides and fertilisers near water sources suggests further pollution. Therefore, the drinking water is deemed unfit for human consumption.

¿Who Are We?

Project Founders

¡Hello! We are Daniel and Florian - internship participants at El Terreno, passionate about improving the lives of children in rural Ecuador!

Daniel: As a father of a seven-year-old son, I felt a surge of compassion, hearing about the condition of the affected children. With several years of industry experience as a studied chemist, I understand the challenges of building an effectively working water filter, which could have a meaningful impact on their well-being. For myself, I’m looking to contribute to purposeful projects that go beyond advancing my industrial career.

Florian: Having worked in sales and being between jobs, I had two months to spare, and decided to contribute to a good cause in a social project. Reading about the situation at the nurseries and their struggles, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my time to this. Long story short, I booked a flight to Ecuador to join Joshua and Daniel on the water filter project to ameliorate the water quality.

Current Project Leader

Hi! I'm Toby - a community development intern at El Terreno and successor of Daniel and Florian, who have put in major time and effort to make this possible, both in planning and fundraising.

Toby: I am a Philosophy, Politics and Economics student in Loughborough, UK who has worked on a number of volunteering projects around the world with a dream to make humanitarian aid my profession. South America is an incredibly rich continent in spirituality, beauty and community - which played a large part in deciding to join this project. I am passionate about coordination and making things happen - whilst I do not have the expert knowledge of water systems like Daniel or Florian, I  do have the toolset to make sure their efforts have a long lasting impact.

Our Initial Solution

We aimed to provide a year-round supply of water free from sediment, parasites, and bacteria by building a three-barrier filter with a 150-litre storage tank. In low-income Andean communities, simplicity and low cost are key. Therefore, we used basic materials to build an effective system. The filter shown in the picture serves as a model for our design.

¿What Was The Planned Impact?

In collaboration with the State University of Bolivar's laboratory, we identified bacterial and parasitic contaminants. With a prototype ready, testing began at the Atandahua nursery to assess its practicality and effectiveness. With plans to expand the system to nurseries, schools and medical centres in San Juan, Cochapamba and other local areas!

Providing safe, contaminant-free drinking water helps reduce water-related diseases and improves children's nutrition. By reaching our initial target, almost one hundred children stood to benefit. Monthly check-ups by public health institutions offer reliable data on the project's progress.

Our Revised Solution

Bio-sand filters such as the one above are a fantastic way to create a low-cost solution to unsafe water, however after our prototype was installed in a local nursery it unfortunately became clear that it would not be as reliable as we had hoped. This, however, is the exact reason why we test prototypes; so we can pivot and ensure that the most effective and appropriate solutions can be identified. Toby researched and found a pre-built water filter firm who could supply filters in bulk at a similar price to the construction of a bio-filter, these would require less upkeep or specialist knowledge whilst retaining a good flow rate and excellent water quality (if less personable). With a new ambitious target and top-of-the-range filters, reaching our stretch goal would mean that thousands of children, teachers and members of the public will have access to safer water as we build a new partnership with the World Food Programme to support this mission.

Below is a photo of one of the new filters being installed in a local community. 

Malnutrition leads to social injustice in the region. Poor nutrition causes delayed physical and mental development, weak education, and limited job prospects—reinforcing poverty. In a further step, people will continue to migrate, leaving the local culture to perish. Thus, improving water quality in childcare marks a crucial step toward better living conditions. This project will give the children in the nurseries the best start in life!

¿Will You Help Us?

But in order to make this happen, we need your help! Please donate to help us buy the materials for these filters - we’ll do all the hard work in building, installing and testing :-) 

We are Fundraising one 3 levels: 

Essential Goal: 
One nursery bio filter = 197$

Ideal Goal:

Four additional community cartridge filters = 1200$

Stretch Goal

Eleven further cartridge filters in partnership with the WFP = 4100$ 
(Including storage tanks for larger schools)

We will be sure to keep you updated with progress and the finished product! 

¡Donate today!