Aruza, Darién, Panama

Aruza is a small Wounaan village of about 250 people, located on the Tuira River in the Darien Province of Panama. It can be difficult to travel to Aruza, as going there almost always requires a journey in a dugout canoe - sometimes taking over four hours. Aruza is a vibrant community where on any given day you can find the men tending to their personal plots of land, the women cooking a delicious meal, kids running around playing, and teenagers working on homework. But once the afternoon sun begins to set, you can find all ages playing together on the community soccer field.

The water system in Aruza currently consists of three large tanks seated atop a concrete platform next to the soccer field filled by a solar-powered well next to the river. Our team works closely with the water-committee in Aruza to ensure the sustainability of the water system, primarily through training and capacity building of local leaders.

Population: 240

Project cost: $12,500

Project Funding: Solea Water Donations

Phase 1

In the initial phase of our project, we met with leaders of Aruza to discuss the needs of the community and how we could help. We created an initial report of our findings and recommendations, and put together a proposed budget for the water project. We also outlined our roles and expectations for the community and organized our plans as to best empower the community to have ownership over the project.

phase 2

Once we agreed on expectations and roles with the community leaders, we began phase 2 of our project: implementation. In this phase, our team installed distribution lines throughout the community with the help of local volunteers from Aruza. We also created a concrete platform which the water tanks sit on top of, dug the well, installed the pump, and connected the solar panels.

PHASE 3

After completing the installation, we tested the system to ensure it pumped enough water for the community and lab tested the water quality to ensure it is safe to for the community to use. Our testing looked for high levels of heavy metals and bacteriological contaminants.

ongoing work

As an organization committed to long-term partnerships with the communities in which we work, we routinely return to Aruza to help the water committee address any problems or maintenance issues they might have. These have included replacing worn out pipes, cleaning the well, performing chlorine-shocks, and fixing the pump.