Bringing Clean Water to Indigenous Children in the Peruvian Amazon
Bringing Clean Water to Indigenous Children in the Peruvian Amazon
Nancy Santullo first visited Peru in 1999 because of her interest in the medicinal healing properties of plants that could be found in the rainforest, but found herself touched by the needs of the children she encountered there. Even with decades-long scientific and anthropological research and NGO activity to be found there, the indigenous people are still sorely in need of effective solutions to improve their health, sanitation, educational status and access to clean water. There is only minimal government funding directed specifically for them.
She returned three months later with family donations and began working with a small group of homeless street children in Cusco and, later, with a group of native children in the village of Huacaria in the Manu Rainforest.
Nancy's love of the rainforest also drew her back to spend more and more time with the children of Huacaria. Working with the village teacher, she established trust among the children and the villagers helping to teach basic hygiene practices. She soon came to be known by them as "Senorita Nancy!"
What Nancy soon discovered was that sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure are lacking in native communities throughout Manu and the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. The water treatment systems that do exist most often deliver contaminated stream or river water directly to central locations or households, without chlorine disinfection or filtration of any kind.
Furthermore, while the Peruvian health ministry has small health posts in some native communities, their interventions are mainly pharmaceutical with limited preventive health care and health education. There is no cultural or language training for health workers who provide care to native communities which often speak an indigenous language, instead of the national language of Spanish. The people often wait until they are critical before seeking care for themselves, children, or family members, based on their fears and experiences within the system that has not always understood their lifestyle and customs.
Observing that the indigenous children were drinking contaminated water, suffering from chronic health problems and extremely limited educational opportunities, Nancy knew in her heart that she had the capacity to do more and made the decision to focus her efforts on the children of Huacaria. With a small group of supporters, she established House of the Children (HOTC.) HOTC is a grassroots 501(c) 3 organization dedicated to creating support, inspiration and opportunity for indigenous children in the Manu Rainforest of Southeastern Peru.
HOTC empowers native global cultures by providing communal, low-tech, clean water and sanitation systems that are not only sustainable, but function in harmony with the environment. In addition, they provide culturally aware health and education programs that enable native children and adults to prosper in their natural environment.
The project has been so successful that HOTC is now seeking to replicate the program piloted in Huacaria to seven native communities throughout the Manu Biosphere Reserve and the Camisea River region. It is an opportunity to do what has never been done before: to bring integral and sustainable programs of safe drinking water, proper sanitation, health education, and improved community organization to indigenous rain forest cultures in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon.
The HOTC expansion program will serve as a multicultural global model to promote healthy ecosystems and people while preserving cultural integrity throughout the world. A clean water charity and non profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and sustainability in the regions of the world where sensitive ecosystems are most threatened. How To Help Your Children Develop Number Skills Finding The Best Car Insurance Rates For Teenage Drivers What To Expect Regarding Dental Check-ups For Children School Supply Shopping Tips Kids Adjustments In School After The Move Celebrity Trivia: Source Of Fun Among Children Fairytales Impacting The Lives Of Children Tips To Get Specialized Military Schools For Girls In Aurora Childrens Party Invitations High School Transcripts Online: How To Get Them Advantages & Disadvantages Of Online High School Rehabilitation and Treatment For Teenage Drug Abuse by:Adam Rise Tips For Prevention Of Sports Injury In Children