Access to water and sanitation is the biggest problem in rural communities in Peru like Canrey Chico, where about 4 in 10 families do not have a toilet. Those that do have toilets do not use them because of old habits and ways of thinking, because the installation does not work, or because the houses are too far away to claim a government subsidy. As a result, these local families consisting of children, youth and elderly do their needs in the open which leads to all kinds of hygiene-related problems.
As water, hygiene and sustainability are part of our core priorities, Children of Lima financed septic tank maintenance, disinfection, cleaning and chlorination training for this rural mountain community near Huaraz in the Peruvian Andes.
Together with students from the University of Santiago Antunez de Mayolo and the people of the Canrey Chico community, we are looking at setting up further water- and sanitation-related projects in 2025.