Stories of Change
Maria Martinez Mansueta
Maria Martinez Mansueta - making life easier
In a joint initative, farmers from CONACADO have used some of their fair trade social premium to subsidise the cost of construction of a new water supply for the El Cercadillo community in the town of Yamasa in the central Dominican Republic. CONACADO and the local residents each committed to paying 50% of the cost for the tank's construction.
To date, CONACADO has supported the construction of more than 100 such water supplies through the Dominican Republic. Improving access to water is a high priority in this country; before the tank was built in 2006, locals had to walk half an hour in each direction to collect water from a spring. For some families, 5 trips per day were needed to collect all the water for their needs. In areas where tanks have not yet been built, this laborious water collection process is still a daily reality.
For Maria Martinez Mansueta, being able to collect water straight across the road from her home is a big deal.
'My legs are in poor shape these days, and I couldn't walk to the spring any more. I had to pay someone to collect my water for me before this tank was constructed'.
To date, CONACADO has supported the construction of more than 100 such water supplies through the Dominican Republic. Improving access to water is a high priority in this country; before the tank was built in 2006, locals had to walk half an hour in each direction to collect water from a spring. For some families, 5 trips per day were needed to collect all the water for their needs. In areas where tanks have not yet been built, this laborious water collection process is still a daily reality.
For Maria Martinez Mansueta, being able to collect water straight across the road from her home is a big deal.
'My legs are in poor shape these days, and I couldn't walk to the spring any more. I had to pay someone to collect my water for me before this tank was constructed'.
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