With support from Global Greengrants Fund and Aveda, the Beraca Institute has been working in three drought-impacted communities in the Curimatá – Piauí State of Brazil. Since 2016, the Beraca Institute has been utilizing funding to support the communities of Baio, Boim and Flecha with the goal of increasing access to water for each of the local communities. The organization supported water treatment efforts and well restoration, enabled two cooperatives to grow new species of plants, helped to protect and reforest riparian areas, reinforced knowledge in permaculture and aided capacity building for cooperative members to market products to generate income.
In advance of Earth Month 2019, the Beraca Institute shared information about the status of the ongoing project.
Baio is a small rural community comprised of 54 families with little access to public services. Through Aveda’s funding, the community is the only in the area with an operating well. The water is good and abundant. Currently, eight houses have piped water.
Before receiving funding for the well from Aveda and Global Greengrants Fund, the community used to spend around 40-50% of their time obtaining water for drinking, domestic activities, and for the animals. Now the community reports that they have enough water for their activities and, thus, have time to invest in other income generating activities. One of their goals for the coming year is to pipe water to the 35 remaining homes in the community that currently lack access.
Morro do Boim is a small rural community of 19 families. There is no electricity in the community, but they do now have access to water thanks to the Aveda-funded well. The community reported spending 50% of their time searching for water in the past, sometimes walking 6 kilometers each time and waking up at 1 am to arrive early. Now, they walk 10 minutes to the well. As a result, the men have more time to work outside the community and the women have more time to care for the children , the house, and pursue other livelihoods.
The priority projects moving forward for Morro do Boim, are to obtain energy in order to improve food conservation and develop agricultural activities, start a reforestation project, and pursue non-agricultural income generating activities, such as beekeeping.
The Beraca Institute will use future funding from Aveda and Global Greengrants Fund to increase access to water for households in each of the communities, and improve the ability of the locals to benefit from agricultural production and other income generating activities. Buy a Light the Way™ candle today, and support the efforts of the Beraca Institute, keeping water flowing through households in Brazil and beyond.