LOCATION:
Bernardino Díaz Ochoa, Granada Department and El Coyol & El Papaturro, Rivas Department, Nicaragua
Bernardino Díaz Ochoa is approximately 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Granada. El Coyol and El Papaturro are approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of San Juan Del Sur.
COMMUNITY DETAILS:
The community of Bernardino Díaz Ochoa is a subsistence farming community that had made ends meet despite the lack of electricity or access to clean water. With the nearest health clinic a two-hour drive from the town, most members of this community received little or no health care at all.
Bernardino Díaz Ochoa schoolhouse in the middle of the community.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The Bernardino Díaz Ochoa project was a collaboration between the EWB-USA Rice University Student Chapter and the Central Houston Professional Chapter.
This project was a continuation of a prior project performed by the student chapter. In 2005, the community of Bernardino Díaz Ochoa had a solar lighting system installed in a community building. This was followed-up in subsequent implementation trips to install a rainwater catchment system and a groundwater pump & water tower in 2006.
Lighting installed in 2005 by the EWB-USA Rice University Student Chapter in a community building.
From 2006-2007, after three trips to Nicaragua over the course of 2 years, the student chapter project team had the knowledge and expertise to design a straw-bale stand-alone health clinic for the rural community of 600.
Members of the the professional chapter traveled in May of 2007 and built a solar power system to provide a reliable source of power & lighting and a rainwater harvesting system to provide a reliable source of clean water for the clinic. The solar lighting systems that were implemented were purchased as a package from a local vendor in Nicaragua called Suni Solar.
Left: Light installed in the clinic. Right: Bernardino Díaz Ochoa clinic solar panel mount from Suni Solar, located outside clinic constructed as university chapter project.
Following the success seen with solar lighting in Bernardino Díaz Ochoa, the neighboring communities of El Coyol and El Papaturro similarly requested comparable systems to be installed within their communities. The communities are located approximately 20 miles north of San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. The villages, home to approximately 150 people, are located just south of Bernardino Díaz Ochoa. The community of El Papaturro has a school and a church located approximately 50-feet apart where the members of the community gather for services and other community events and the children study. The community of El Coyol also has a church as well.
Church in community of El Coyol.
The church is the center of both communities. The communities’ primary request the last time the student chapter visited the community was for power to these buildings that are central gathering places for each community. Powering these buildings would allow the communities to gather at night for town meetings and such and also allow the children a place to study in the evenings.
Left: Exterior of church in El Papaturro. Right: Interior of church in El Papaturro.
These systems were installed in the neighboring communities in May 2009. Following installation of the two additional solar systems, the set of projects was closed.
PROJECT ADOPTION DATE:
2007 (Central Houston Professional Chapter)
PROJECT STATUS:
Complete
Impact: 600 people provided with clean water via rain catchment system
TEAM LEAD:
- AnnMarie Spexet