The Junta de Saneamiento Saguazú, or Saguazu Sanitation Committee is comprised of a total of 180 families who are part of the Saguazu residential development, situated 8 km from the city of Yaguaron, on the route to the town of Pirayu.

The committee’s origins are rooted in the need for sufficient potable water for all of the town’s citizens. They were provided with water from wells from the surrounding areas, but the quantity of water needed and the distance it had to go was too much for the wells.

The proposal to form the commission was the idea of Sivlerio R., who is a local and one of those affected by the lack of water. He organized a meeting where he proposed that everyone get together and carry out some kind of activity to raise funds so that they could afford the construction of a good artesian well. Later, professionals from the Municipality advised them, and they received a donation from the local government of a water pump, plumbing, faucets, etc. to have good distribution of water among the families.

This idea gave them great enthusiasm. News spread, and right away more families joined. They organized soccer tournaments, barbeque chicken sales, raffles, bingo, and playing card tournaments all to raise the necessary funds as quickly as possible. Thanks to their dedication, determination, and hard work, they raised enough money to pay for the construction. Everything was a success, due to the enthusiasm of the inhabitants and their desire to work together throughout all the events to achieve their goal.

Right now, they have an artesian well, a 30,000 liter tank at a good height, pipes connecting to all the families, and good and abundant pressure of potable water, benefitting a total of 180 families.

The Saguazu Sanitation Committee continues to be active with the upkeep of the potable water system, including maintenance, cleaning, paying for the electricity consumption, and finding solutions to ordinary problems in the whole water distribution system.

They are interested in purchasing a spare motor. During the summer the motor is used much more. This way, when they need to conduct maintenance, they can use the backup.

About Water Installation Loans

Fundación Paraguaya recently launched this exciting new loan product with the help of Kiva. Ikatu Agua loans are designed to provide communities without access to drinking water the money they need to dig wells, set pipeline networks and install water meters. The loan is given to a group of community leaders, who form a Sanitation Board in representation of their entire community. Members of the Sanitation Board are responsible for contracting builders, overseeing construction and collecting small, regular contributions from all community members. These contributions are pooled and returned to Kiva lenders in the form of loan repayments.