Here in America we have easy access to water softeners and water filtration.  Not everyone is so lucky.  We at LifeSource Water are honored to work with The House of the Children in Peru.  Nancy Santullo, Founder and Executive Director of House of the Children, first visited Peru in 1999 because of her interest in the medicinal healing properties indigenous to the region.  Nancy observed that children were drinking contaminated water, suffering from chronic health problems and had extremely limited educational opportunities.

Nancy knew in her heart that she had the capacity to do more and made the decision to focus her efforts on the children of Huacaria. With a small group of supporters, including LifeSource Water, she established House of the Children (HOTC.) HOTC is a grassroots 501(c) 3 organization.

The mission of House of the Children is to empower global cultures by providing sustainable water, sanitation, health and education programs that raise the quality of life of children and adults in context to cultural and environmental needs.  What they have been able to accomplish with Project Huacaria is phenomenal. Clean Water is an immense global challenge.  1.2 billion people - or 1 out of 5 - are without access to safe drinking water and half the world's population lacks adequate water-treatment. It is incumbent upon us to help. Every indigenous community can have sustainable clean water and proper sanitation systems that function in context to their own cultural and environmental needs.

When Nancy first approached LifeSource Water, we assumed she wanted us to ship our water systems to Peru.  Nancy’s plan was much more ambitious. She understood that if the villages built their own sustainable water plants from indigenous material, they will have a more vested interest in their success.  What has resulted are Communal, low-tech, clean water and sanitation systems that are sustainable, and function in harmony with the environment. A communal gravity flow water system was built and the distribution lines extend throughout 3.5 KM of the community.

Portable geo-membrane tanks house the slow sand filters and the 18,500 liter reservoir tank. Slow sand filtration is removing up to 99.99% of the bacteria from the water supply. Safe drinking water now arrives to individual homes, the village schoolhouse and the medical post. The people have equal access to safe drinking water 24 hours per day.

The water committee and community members fully participated in building the facility, and receive ongoing technical training over three years to promote long term sustainability.  Most importantly, Bi-lingual health and hygiene education is implemented over three years to improve daily hygiene practices among the children and families and promote long term health advances for the people.

For more about House of the Children visit www.houseofthechildren.org or the LifeSource Water website.  At LifeSource Water, we believe everyone deserves clean water.