Living Waters for the World
Encyclopedia
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of Living Waters of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
. Its goal is to train and equip mission teams to empower local leaders to provide clean water to communities in need across the globe. LWW water systems and related educational programs address the niche in world water provisioning in which communities have adequate available but contaminated water.
Ideal installation locations for LWW systems include clinics, churches, schools, orphanages, community centers, hospitals in areas with available but contaminated water.
Train the trainer: Every effort is made by LWW to ensure that operating partners (local, in-country partners) lead health, hygiene & spiritual education and construct the clean water system, and that initiating partners (typically U.S.-based partners) teach and supervise. A relationship for a minimum of three years is established, involving four or more trips.
History
The Living Waters for the World project was first conceived in the early 1990s by Wil Howie, a psychologist-turned-minister who believed that the Synod of Living Waters of which he is a member, could literally bring life-saving, "living" waters to people in need throughout the world.Through 2003, Wil and a small band of dedicated installers were able to install about 11 systems. Recognizing that at this rate they would not be able to significantly impact the growing water needs of the countries in which they were active, Wil and others hit upon the idea of training and equipping others to do these installations. Clean Water U was started in 2003, and the number of systems installed per year has grown every year since that point.
From this humble beginning, Living Waters for the World clean water systems have been installed at more than 293 sites in 21 countries: Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Madagasgar, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
) and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Clean Water U
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
. Clean Water U is a simulation experience designed to equip mission teams with the skills necessary to form partnerships with communities in need of clean water, equip local leaders to lead ongoing health, hygiene and spiritual education and install the Living Waters for the World clean water system.
These learning objectives are taught in three separate courses which run concurrently during a five-day session. A church/organization typically sends three or more representatives - at least one for each class. These courses are:
- CWU 101: Fundamentals of Team Leadership, Water Testing and Partnership Development
- CWU 102: Water Health, Hygiene and Spirituality Training
- CWU 103: Water Treatment System Construction and Maintenance
Graduates of Clean Water U are equipped to serve as team leaders in subsequent water-focused mission trips. Graduates are also eligible to acquire all system parts, curriculum and related materials necessary for successful completion of these trips.
The number of Clean Water U sessions offered each year has grown steadily since the first session was offered in the spring of 2004. These sessions are open to people of any faith tradition or community service orientation. A per student fee is assessed to subsidize the cost of materials, facilities, lodging and meals.
Water treatment systems
A modular approach is used in the design of these community-sized water treatment systems. This provides a configurable solution to meet the specific needs of a partner.The basic, or "standard" LWW water treatment system is designed as a batch treatment process with an integrated water bottling station for distribution of bottled water throughout a community. The process capacity for a single batch is typically about 300 gallons of treated water per cycle, with a processing time of approximately one hour. Processing consists of three stages of filtration, from 0.5 to 50 micrometre
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
s, followed by ozonation for bacteriological disinfection. The equipment cost for a standard LWW system is about $2800, and operating costs are on the order of a penny per US gallon ($2.6 per m³).
In cases where the water source is particularly hard
Hard water
Hard water is water that has high mineral content . Hard water has high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Hard water is generally not harmful to one's health but can pose serious problems in industrial settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling...
, or where the water has high levels of total dissolved solids
Total dissolved solids
Total Dissolved Solids is a measure of the combined content of all inorganic and organic substances contained in a liquid in: molecular, ionized or micro-granular suspended form. Generally the operational definition is that the solids must be small enough to survive filtration through a sieve...
or heavy metals, a standard LWW treatment system may not be appropriate. Such conditions are found, for example, in places such as the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, where limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
and saltwater intrusion
Saltwater intrusion
Saltwater intrusion is the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers. Most often, it is caused by ground-water pumping from coastal wells, or from construction of navigation channels or oil field canals. The channels and canals provide conduits for salt water to be brought into fresh...
lead to high levels of TDS
Total dissolved solids
Total Dissolved Solids is a measure of the combined content of all inorganic and organic substances contained in a liquid in: molecular, ionized or micro-granular suspended form. Generally the operational definition is that the solids must be small enough to survive filtration through a sieve...
. For conditions such as these, the standard water treatment system is augmented with a water softener and a reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
treatment system. These additions necessarily increase the installation cost by several thousand dollars. Operational costs also increase, due to increased electrical usage and increased consumables. These systems also may not be appropriate for situations where source water scarcity is an issue, since the RO
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
process generates a significant amount of wastewater.
In addition to community sized water treatment systems, LWW has also developed single-family sized systems for use in areas such as Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
where coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
may have produced acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage , or acid rock drainage , refers to the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines. However, other areas where the earth has been disturbed may also contribute acid rock drainage to the environment...
that has contaminated local water sources. These systems may use the treatment components outlined above, and may also employ green sand filters with potassium permanganate to remove iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
from the water.
Networks
As the number of LWW treatment systems—particularly systems in close geopolitical proximity—has grown, the idea of grouping these systems and their partners into mutually supportive networks has taken hold. Networks pair a LWW coordinator in the US with a coordinator in a specific geographical area or international region to match US partners with International partners to:- create viable LWW projects,
- promote maintenance of the relationship during the covenant period,
- be aware of the status of all systems in the network area,
- facilitate access to materials and expertise necessary to maintain those systems in good order.
LWW Networks communicate with LWW and each other via a Network Steering Group, composed of the US Coordinators of all networks, the LWW Director, and the moderator of the LWW Committee. As of mid-2008, seven networks exist or are in development with more under consideration. These include networks in: Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
(Southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
), Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
.
| Network | Size (2008) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachia | |
The Appalachian network is currently active in two communities, Buffalo Creek and Viking Mountain, near Jellico and Greeneville Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there... Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... , respectively. As of mid-2008, there are 16 installations in Viking Mountain and 9 in Buffalo Creek. Installations in the US are single family units instead of community units, to comply with United States Environmental Protection Agency United States Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress... regulations. Challenges in the Appalachia region include treatment of groundwater contaminated by coal mining and oil/gas recovery, low flow water sources (groundwater and springs), and high iron content that hampers standard treatment processes for other contaminants. These systems are installed in partnership between local and area Presbyterian churches and the community members impacted by bad water conditions. The short range goal is to expand the installation activities into Kentucky in 2008/2009 timeframe, through use of Federal USDA Rural Development funding in combination with administrative support from a regional non-profit (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties) and additional financial support from Rotary International Rotary International Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help... . In the longer term, it is hoped to expand these serives across the Appalachia region to any community in need of water treatment systems. |
| Chiapas, Southern Mexico | |
The network in Chiapas Chiapas Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las... is just beginning to become organized. There are currently 11 systems installed in communities in the southern portion of Chiapas along the Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... border. The first of those systems was installed in 2006. Systems have been installed in churches, orphanages, schools and community centers. The network will be expanded to become the "Southern Mexico Network" as plans are being finalized with eight communities in the states of Oaxaca Oaxaca Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions... and Veracruz Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is... to install water systems in early 2009. |
| Dominican Republic | |
While the first system was installed in 2006, the Dominican Republic network is currently still in the formative stages. Because of its relative proximity to the US, influence of baseball, and extensive travel to the US, the Dominican people have an affinity to the US. The country provides an excellent opportunity for LWW in that the need is great, potential operating partners are available, and the infrastructure is adequate to install and maintain systems. It is hoped that the DR experiences significant growth in LWW systems over the next few years. |
| El Salvador | |
The El Salvador network began in 2005 and to date operates primarily though Trinity Presbyterian Church of Starkville, MS. Because the Presbyterian Church does not have a large presence in El Salvador, Peace Corps Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping... volunteers act as scouts and translators, and are working with community groups called ADESCOs to provide water systems. The ADESCOs are organized by local people and chartered by the government for the purpose of 'Community Development'. In many communities, the main task of the ADESCO is either water or public health, since these are pressing problems for which there is not much governmental action. The advantage of working with the ADESCO is that it has a life beyond just the water project. The disadvantage is that the members are elected volunteers. Sometimes the ADESCO becomes dormant, or an election make it hard to identify the new leaders. The oldest system in El Salvador has made over 168,000 gallons of treated water for its community. The network hired an emeritus Peace Corps Volunteer in 2008 to visit the systems and act as translator and liaison. It has found in-country sources for all of the system parts except the ozonator and the filter cartridges. |
| Guatemala | |
The first clean water system in Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... was installed in March 2004 and as of the end of June 2008, there are 38 units installed by 25 teams in 12 of the 22 departments in Guatemala – reaching from the very northwest corner of the country to the mid-central part of the country east of the capital city. In addition to units installed in churches, units have been installed in clinics, schools and orphanages throughout the country. Efforts are underway to bring these locations into compliance with governmental regulations for operation of clean water processing systems and to comply with health department regulations that will allow the locations to sell water in their communities. These efforts are somewhat complicated because some functions are controlled by the municipalities and others are controlled by government agencies located in Guatemala City Guatemala City Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America... and require personal appearances to process the paperwork. LWW works with Habitat-Guatemala the director of which attended Clean Water U in 2007 and declared that he wanted to have a Living Waters for the World clean water system installed in each new Habitat colonia as it is established from that point on. Two such units have been installed to date with future installations dependent upon the completion of new colonias. Habitat-Guatemala is the largest international partner of Habitat for Humanity having built over 25,000 new homes since it was established in 1979 and with the goal of having 50,000 houses completed by 2012. |
| Haiti | |
The Living Waters network in the Republic of Haiti was established in 2008 to coordinate, train and create sustainability for the rapidly growing treatment plants located there. Little Brothers of Saint Therese (LBST) and OCDES (Organization, Communication, Development, Education and Social) are the two main non profits though which most of our communication and money is channeled. LBST is a Catholic order that has 16 houses and 75 brothers scattered in various parts of Haiti. OCDES is in charge of operating over 40 Episcopalian schools with 14,000 school children. They also oversee the operation of Living Waters plants located at these schools. A warehouse has been established in country to provide backup parts for all the existing and future treatment plants. As of mid-2008, five Haitians have been trained at Clean Water U; they can go to a treatment facility and attend to any need that may arise. Two more systems will come on line later in the year, and at least three systems are in early planning stages for the following year. Ayiti (Haiti) is often called the land where good intentions come to die. It is the poorest country in this hemisphere. There is very little potable drinking water in Haiti; the need for the services of organizations like Living Waters for the World is great. |
| Honduras | |
There are many existing partnerships between U.S.-based churches and Honduran organizations. These include Honduran churches, health clinics, daycare centers, orphanages, and humanitarian aid organizations. Living Waters for the World offers the opportunity to significantly increase the impact of these existing relationships by providing one of the most essential human needs. The impact on improving health and helping break the cycle of poverty is almost immediate. The number of LWW systems in Honduras is growing rapidly and expanding into new areas of the country. There are many opportunities for Initiating Partners in the U.S. who desire to establish a partnership in Honduras to provide clean water, either as a new stand-alone team, or in conjunction with existing teams serving Honduras. |
| Yucatan | |
The Yucatan Peninsula Network is the oldest and (currently) largest of the LWW networks, with 44 actively operating clean water systems installed by end of 2008. A covenant between the Synod Synod A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not... of Living Waters (Presbyterian Church (USA)) and the Synod of the Peninsula (Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico) has greatly facilitated the proliferation of this ministry in the area, as most of these are located in churches, and operated by the churches for the benefit of their communities. Systems in the peninsula differ somewhat from those in most other parts of the world, because the water is exceedingly salty and hard, and requires the addition of softening and reverse osmosis to the basic configuration. In some communities, the systems are serving over 1,000 people, and incidence of disease has been markedly reduced. In 2006, the first-ever "Continuing Education Seminar for LWW System Operators" was held in Mérida, Mexico. Attended by 60 Mexican operators of systems in the peninsula, it was such a success that a second seminar was held in 2007 (attendance 80), and another will be held in November 2008. All systems in the peninsula are now in compliance (or working toward compliance) with local health department regulations, a step that is necessary in any case where the water is sold to the public. All necessary equipment is now supplied by a company in Campeche Campeche Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west... , Mexico, and delivered to each installation site, eliminating the need for the installing team to carry the equipment into the country; further, this local supplier is able to help with problems that arise with any of the systems there. This model is one that we would like to replicate in each network, if possible. A long-range goal for Living Waters for the World is to develop a Clean Water U in each network, and thereby train local folks to build and operate their own systems. This goal is closer to reality in the Yucatan peninsula than anywhere else, due in large measure to the relationship that has been developed through the churches. It may be noted that this network, because it is not in the poorest region of the world, has been able to become established and grow in a way that may not have been possible in a less developed area of the world. However, having met with success at this level, it will be easier for LWW, with the help of those living in this area, to reach out to other parts of the world where there are fewer resources. This network is a step in that direction. |
The network model has proven effective at allowing LWW to expand the scope of its services while maintaining quality and responsiveness in providing clean water to communities in need. As installations expand into new parts of the world, networks will be developed to address them.