I never expected to have a cistern and a roof like these. I’m happy, now I have water to drink. I don’t have to haul as much with the cart. Before, I would bring water from the reservoir in the cart, pour it into the small pool, and during dry spells, we would get it from the well and scoop it out with buckets. But it was kind of bland, a bit salty. And we drank it anyway because it was all we had.

Nora Abregú

San Antonio Area

Before, I had to borrow an animal to go fetch water from the reservoir or scoop it from the wells. Now I’m more at ease; I use the cistern water for drinking and also for washing. And one day, I plan to enclose the roof of the system to make a room.

Armando Ibañez

San Antonio Area

Now we have water for everything: for drinking, for washing clothes, and for the animals. Where there is water, there is life. If there is no water, you can’t do anything. Now with this, we are happy because we can feel more at ease. We no longer have to think about going to get water from the reservoir or the wells. Not having water is hard sometimes because it’s a constant worry for many families. We are a family of seven.

Fernanda Maldonado

San Antonio Area

When we arrived in the area, the community didn’t believe we would actually build the cisterns because they had endured many years of broken promises. Where there was a breakdown of trust, engineering has the power to rebuild confidence through something very visible: the construction itself.

Adán Levy

Director of EWB-Ar

Before, when it rained, we would collect the water in a bucket and pour it into a small pool. If it didn’t rain, we had to go get water from the reservoir. Sometimes we carried it in a container, or sometimes we had to borrow a cart to haul the water. It was water that you couldn't drink. It wasn’t very healthy water for the kids. We were always dealing with stomach illnesses in the children. Now we drink rainwater from the cisterns. I can use it for cooking, for my daughter’s milk, and for drinking. Now we only bring water from the reservoir for washing.

Roxana Castro

San Antonio Area

I never expected to have a cistern and a roof like these. I’m happy, now I have water to drink. I don’t have to haul as much with the cart. Before, I would bring water from the reservoir in the cart, pour it into the small pool, and during dry spells, we would get it from the well and scoop it out with buckets. But it was kind of bland, a bit salty. And we drank it anyway because it was all we had.

Nora Abregú

San Antonio Area