Belize

Belize is a small country in Central America whose primary source of income is tourism, and that is virtually exclusively located along the coast and the outlying islands just offshore. The inland areas of the southern region of Belize is inhabited almost exclusively by Ketchi Mayan Indians, who are subsistence farmers that live in poverty off what they can raise in their fields and gather in the jungle. They have little access to medical care and even less access to safe drinking water and sanitary facilities.

In 2012, Hope Springs Water embarked on an ambitious program to reclaim some of the hundreds of abandoned wells built in the early 2000s. In each case, rusty, deteriorated pipes are removed and replaced with long-lasting PVC pipes, bore holes are flushed out and sanitized, and then new pump mechanisms are installed. To date, 50 wells have been reclaimed in the villages of the Toledo District through installing Mark lll (U-3) kits or submersible pumps.

HSW plans to continue repairing and recovering water wells in the Toledo District using the U-3 system. We plan to target the areas where the need is greatest according to public health officials in the district. In the villages, where the wells are repaired, HSW will couple improvements in clean water with Health Education. Focusing on how to maintain clean water, hygiene, and sanitation. Research has shown that the concepts work best and have longer lasting effects if combined. Hope Springs Water works to improve health and quality of life for the people of Belize in the long term.