EN | ESP

The keys to our success are community engagement and long term commitment.

OUR PROGRAMS

Rainforest Flow ensures that village families participate in all phases of planning, construction, and maintenance of water and sanitation systems. Once construction is complete we spend at least five years following up with hygiene education, systems training and maintenance, and health monitoring to ensure long-term health advances and program sustainability.

Here is an overview of our programs:

Clean Water

We deliver clean, safe water to indigenous people in rainforest villages. We capture the water from natural springs and purify it using rock and sand filters in portable geomembrane treatment tanks. Where topography permits, we distribute water by gravity feed to homes, schools, and health posts. In flatter terrain, we build rainwater harvesting systems to supply safe water. 

Water + Sanitation Committees

We provide ongoing technical training to the village Water + Sanitation Committees (W+S). In time, villagers learn to maintain, repair, and expand their water and sanitation systems on their own, guaranteeing the sustainability of the program. Community members also learn to monitor water quality using the Hach portable microbiology lab, which helps to ensure safe drinking water.

Sinks + Greywater Drains

W+ S Committee members and families work with us to gather rock, sand, wood, and other natural materials from forests and rivers. Together we build durable, practical sinks at homes and village schoolhouses. The sinks are built with underground greywater drains to avoid environmental contamination.  We teach families and schoolchildren how to maintain their sinks and drains.

Sanitation

We build eco-friendly bathrooms with biodigester waste management tanks that do not contaminate the ecosystem. School bathrooms are well ventilated, easy to clean, and have separate sides for boys and girls. We are now piloting individual household bathrooms using the same technology. 

Health + Hygiene Education

We provide hygiene education, coronavirus prevention, and health monitoring to village families and schoolchildren. Community members who take a special interest in our program are trained as Health Promoters who monitor health and hygiene in their villages and share information with nearby villages. 

Health Studies

Our health and anthropology team conducts baseline studies to monitor long-term health and social impacts. We track parasites, anemia, malnutrition, and gastrointestinal diseases before and after our intervention. This data helps us to measure health outcomes, adapt our programs, and inform health and government agencies. 

Our work changes lives for the better.