With a predominantly agricultural and informal economy, Honduras is among the poorest countries in Central America. In Marcala Municipality, many communities suffer from a shortage of safe drinking water, despite having a lot of water resources.  A recent national survey revealed that only 50% of households in Honduras have access to water free of E. Coli.  While progress has been made toward making sure people have safe water, an estimated 95% of water systems fail within 20 years because communities lack sufficient technical and financial capacity to maintain their water systems properly.

One Day’s Wages is partnering with Cova to eliminate waterborne disease and facilitate long-term access to safe drinking water in 80 rural communities in Marcala, Honduras.  Cova’s model depends on trained water technicians (called Circuit Riders) who support up to 50 rural water boards: community-led committees that are trained to manage their chlorine-treated water systems and monitor water quality monthly. As water board members’ capacity grows and they are able to manage their water systems independently, Cova will be able to transition out and scale up the Circuit Rider model to even more rural communities.  Through our partnership 32,000 people will gain improved health and well-being through access to safe water!