The small, rural community of La Sardina is located in the municipality of San Pedro de Lovago in the department of Chontales. It is very isolated and community members have to travel far to buy basic supplies in the nearest city. Most members of the community earn an income working in small-scale dairy farming and agriculture, and some residents travel outside La Sardina for institutional jobs. The community does not have access to the national electric grid and the children have classes in the community's multi-grade school.
Women in La Sardina occupy traditional roles in the household, which often includes being responsible for obtaining water for their families. Water in the community is sourced from a local spring or watering hole, which is located over half a mile from the nearest home. Previously, women extracted the water using a mechanical rope pump, and carried the water by hand from the well to their home, an energy- and time-intensive task, especially given the difficult terrain in this area.
Eight Nicaraguan volunteers joined GRID for a hands-on training opportunity in La Sardina to install a solar-powered water pump system in the community. With the installation of the system, water is now lifted with the power of the sun from the local spring to two water tanks, and then distributed by gravity flow to 36 households in the community. With the system up and running, 49 families now have direct access to potable water right at their home, saving community members, especially women, a significant amount of time and energy.
This project was made possible in partnership with local non-profit organizations Renovables and AVODEC along with the San Pedro de Lovago municipality.
See photos from the installation!
Support for our work helps us to bring more families access to the free power from the sun and provide hands-on training in the growing solar industry. Consider making a donation today. A contribution of any size makes a difference.
