IMMEDIATE GOAL OF $20K NEEDED TO BRING WATER TO 220 FAMILIES IN THE VILLAGES OF EL COROZAL ARRIBA AND BOCA DE COROZAL
During a visit to Nicaragua in February, PeaceWorks president Denis Johnston traveled up near Nicaragua’s border with Honduras, two hours past Jinotega on unmapped gravel roads.
When he arrived, Denis met with community members from the twin villages of El Corozal Arriba and Boca de Corozal, where 220 families are living without access to potable water. Denis is pictured below, fifth from the right, with members of the community.
Since two powerful hurricanes destroyed their old system in 2021, villagers have been forced to walk two to three kilometers to their only water source, the polluted Coco River. To try and filter the water they dig holes in the sand, line them with stones, and then lug water jugs on their heads over hilly terrain in the heat and rain.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of PeaceWorks co-founder Jim Burchell, the PeaceWorks Board set a goal of raising $50,000 over the next two years for the ¡Agua es Vida! Fund, to support at least two new drinking water projects in rural Nicaragua. We hope to start with getting the taps turned back on for the 1000 people who occupy the villages of Los Corozales.
Our immediate goal is to raise $20,000 to cover a significant part of this $108,000 project to bring clean, accessible water from a pure mountain stream to these villages. We are pleased to report that we were able to raise $7,000 in donations and pledges within days of announcing the ¡Agua es Vida! fund. Just $13,000 to go – we’re hoping you can help!
The History: Man-made Disaster
Not far from Los Corozales, US hydroelectric engineer Ben Linder and two Nicaraguan associates were assassinated while working on the late stages of a water project four decades earlier in 1987 (members of PeaceWorks were involved in securing parts for the Linder’s project). Their deaths came at the height of Nicaragua’s tragic, decade-long civil war in which small communities like Los Corozales were routinely terrorized by the “Contras,” a mercenary army paid for by the US government.
This all happened during the height of the Cold War. While the Reagan Administration painted a picture of Nicaraguan rebels at the US border, the new Nicaraguan government took a longer-term revolutionary approach. The Sandinistas repelled the mercenary army while rebuilding its own infrastructure, and providing healthcare and literacy for its citizens.
But US dollars and military might – the covert operations, economic blockades and terror attacks – were devastating for the Nicaraguan people. By the time Denis Johnston, John Mahler and Jim Burchell founded PeaceWorks in 1992, countless Nicaraguans were struggling to deal with crushing poverty and trauma from years of conflict.
As for potable water systems like the one Ben Linder was researching, it would take years for wells and systems to be established. And now the climate crisis – through droughts and powerful storms – is threatening many of the older water systems in Nicaragua.
Honoring the People of las Corozales
So, to honor the brave people of Nicaragua and the legacy of Jim Burchell, who was never, ever not up for a fight to correct a wrong, we are excited to invite you to join this new initiative. Help us provide fresh, clean water to the families of Los Corozales. Help us reduce the burden of the mostly women and children who spend hours each day obtaining the water their families need. And at the same time, help us reduce preventable illnesses and improve hygiene for the entire community.
You may remember our projects with Green Empowerment in places like San Antonio, Yalagüina and El Mojon, Cusmapa. If so, you know that financial support from PeaceWorks is only one piece of the puzzle. Along with other international funding, the people of Los Corazales will contribute their sweat equity to dig trenches and build the infrastructure – worth $14,000 – and about $12,500 in cash. This labor and financial contribution from the community represents a quarter of the $108,000 project. You can help us raise the remaining $13,000 PeaceWorks needs to help make this project happen.
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