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Olivia estimates that her family consumes about five jugs of purified
water each month. At just 5 quetzales per jug, the water is affordable for
Olivia — amounting to just over $3 for a month’s supply.

But it wasn’t always this way.


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"Most of the communities are not used to drinking clean water, they just
drink from the rivers. But due to the storms, the water got contaminated,"
Olivia says.


In 2020, Hurricane Eta pummeled Guatemala with heavy rains. Just 14 days
later, Hurricane Iota followed, significantly worsening the damage in
communities like Cobán where Olivia lives.

In this rural area, like many others, families relied on the river water
for drinking and washing. But the storms contaminated the water, and
children were getting sick.

"I worked with the school clinic to notify all the representatives of the
communities how important it is to drink purified water," says Olivia.

She works at a local school that provides health services to young
students and clean water through a water purification system installed by
Mercy Corps. Olivia manages the system, which provides between 5,700-9,500
liters of water per week, supporting 500 families.


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Olivia manages the water purification system in her community in rural
Guatemala. The plant provides between 5,700-9,500 liters of water to
families each week.


Mercy Corps is working in communities around the world to improve access
to clean water. We promote equitable and inclusive water planning,
governance, and management processes, ensuring the meaningful
participation of marginalized groups — especially women — in these
processes.

Women and girls gather water in 7 out of 10 households without water
supplies on premises — a responsibility that can be time consuming and
often dangerous. Because women and girls bear the brunt of the water
crisis, they are important partners in solving the problem.

Olivia’s leadership is helping pave the way for a stronger future for the
next generation. The school where she works is located in an area where
many children come from under-resourced homes. Here, Olivia says the
school is like a family. It’s a huge source of support for her community —
and an inspiration for all of us who care about helping families flourish
everywhere.

Learn more about our work on water security by watching [ [link removed] ]this video.

In partnership,

The Mercy Corps team

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