Project implementation:
About the project
This proposed project supports three Indigenous communities (Los Ríos, Santa Estefanía de Maltapura, and Runashitu) in the parish of Chontapunta, Napo River basin, Ecuadorian Amazon. These communities face profound challenges: widespread poverty, chronic malnutrition, and recurring waterborne diseases. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), nearly three out of four Napo residents live on less than US$3 a day. Since 2022, FIEA Ecuador, in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA), has been expanding and rehabilitating water systems to improve access to safe drinking water. However, the true focus goes beyond infrastructure: it lies in building sustainable solutions through community empowerment. The proposed project seeks to strengthen and develop community capacity and leadership, especially among women. In these communities, women and girls are the primary users and managers of water resources, but they rarely participate in decision-making.
Key objectives
1. Form at least 5 guardians’ women of water in each community after the trainings.
2. Foster women’s participation in water governance and decision-making within WaterBoards.
3. Increase hygiene awareness through a campaign at community level.
This project is part of the BRIDGE (Building River Dialogue and Governance) initiative grants: Gender Mainstreaming Grants / Women Leadership Grants. The BRIDGE Grants aim to address barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment in transboundary water governance. The grants support practical actions to strengthen inclusive institutions and promote women-led solutions for managing and restoring freshwater ecosystems. BRIDGE is made possible through the Water Diplomacy Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).
