This project will help: 316 children
Completion date: March 2025
Country: Peru
Executive summary
At the PE0672 Compassion centre, located in the district of Paucartambo, Pasco, Peru, centre staff work to provide 316 registered children with educational support, nutritious meals and spiritual guidance. Sadly, students who attend this centre experience high levels of poverty; in Paucartambo, 43.3 per cent of households live in poverty and 75.6 per cent of the population is unemployed. Many of the children and families that our church partners serve lack access to clean water, nutritious meals and sanitation facilities.
The lack of sanitation facilities in Paucartambo has become a great concern for the town’s 11,000 inhabitants. The region reports high rates of chronic malnutrition and anemia in children due to repeat stomach illnesses and gastrointestinal diseases. At home, most families do not have access to adequate washrooms or clean water to use for drinking, cooking and hand washing. In addition, children and caregivers have not been educated in healthy hygiene practices such as hand washing, which leads to the spread of serious diseases.
Without access to clean water and improved sanitation, children are left at high risk of developing a host of waterborne illnesses such as parasitic diseases, cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and diarrhea. Diseases contracted from mosquitos, like malaria and dengue fever, are also considered waterborne because mosquitoes require a water source to lay their eggs. Sadly, in 2023, a dengue fever outbreak occurred in Peru, impacting more than 37,000 children and youth. Children living in communities with poor sanitary conditions may get sick often, frequently miss school days and have lower self-esteem—impacting all areas of their holistic development.
Compassion’s frontline church partner in Paucartambo, Peru, wants to support registered children by providing them with access to clean washrooms and water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) education. The church facility currently lacks adequate sanitation facilities and hand washing sinks to support the nearly 400 children, staff and volunteers who attend weekly programs. With your support, our church partners will build two new washroom facilities with flushing toilets and hand washing sinks. Children will also attend WaSH training sessions to improve their personal hygiene habits and help prevent diseases from spreading.
Summary
Background
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) in Peru, more than 3.6 million Peruvians do not have access to clean drinking water. This survey also found that only 64 per cent of the population has access to drinking water through the public water grid in their homes and 54.9 per cent of impoverished households have access to sanitation facilities.
Waterborne and sanitation-related diseases remain a serious threat to children’s health. The World Bank reports that diarrheal diseases are the eighth leading cause of death worldwide and remain one of the main causes of childhood illness and death in Peru. There is a direct link between water quality, sanitation and health. Children who grow up without access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities will face many challenges and are at risk of contracting and spreading serious diseases.
The need
Poor sanitation is directly linked to continued poverty as it impacts growth, development, self-esteem and a child’s opportunities in life. For children living in Paucartambo, Peru, to thrive, they desperately need access to improved sanitation facilities. Your generous support will allow Compassion’s frontline church partners to provide clean washrooms for more than 300 registered children and provide each child with WaSH education and training.
Your gift will allow the construction of two separate toilet blocks for boys and girls, ensuring private and safe spaces for children to use during program days. Each washroom will include toilets and hand washing sinks, allowing children to properly wash their hands after using the facilities. A health specialist will provide hygiene workshops to registered children and youth, which will ensure children know how to wash their hands and take care of their bodies. They will be able to put this knowledge into practice not only at the centre on program days, but also at home and in their everyday lives.
What your gift will do
Your gift will provide one Compassion centre in Paucartambo, Peru, with new sanitation facilities, impacting nearly 400 registered children, staff and volunteers, including:
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Washroom for women and girls, including basic building, electrical and
drainage materials, water tanks, fixtures and finishings:
- 2 adult toilets
- 2 girls’ toilets
- 3 hand washing sinks
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Washroom for men and boys, including basic building, electrical and drainage
materials, water tanks, fixtures and finishings:
- 2 adult toilets
- 2 boys’ toilets
- 2 urinals
- 3 hand washing sinks
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Labour and construction
- Trench excavation, foundation, walls, columns, roofing, water source installation, drainage, window installation
- WaSH workshops for children
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Transportation
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$459.71
- Handling of funds: Compassion International Peru will work with the local church partner leadership to ensure this project stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: Compassion centre staff will work with a professional engineer and a construction manager in the planning and building phase. The project manager and church pastor will monitor the progress of the construction to ensure washrooms are built according to plan. The Centre director will contact a health specialist to provide hygiene training to staff, children and youth. Church and centre staff will evaluate the use of the new facilities and will report back on the impact of improved sanitation and hygiene practices.