Lazos de Agua Program
While Latin America may have the highest per capita availability of freshwater, 7 out of 10 people in this region don’t have access to basic water services.
In 2016, the One Drop Foundation called upon its network of change-makers to build a Program that would improve the lives of Latin Americans by empowering them with sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
As the strategic implementing partner of the Program’s first phase, One Drop Foundation has led this initiative in five countries, fostering collaboration between governments, NGO’s, public and private entities, artists, and at the center of it all, community members.
The first phase of the Lazos de Agua Program included projects in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Paraguay.
Driven by the One Drop Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the FEMSA Foundation and the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Lazos de Agua Program has succeeded in building favorable environments for the sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services during its first phase.
empowered through sustainable access to water, sanitation and/or hygiene by December 2022.
Our impact is measured beyond the numbers
Our operations achieve sustainability through social innovation and the power of art, co-creating solutions around water, sanitation and/or hygiene with our partners and with communities. Get to know some of the Program’s participants and their stories.
"I strengthened my knowledge and management skills to make my business grow and thus provide a better life opportunity for my family".
Yennifer Madrid
Entrepreneur and owner of Ecobon.
"I strengthened my knowledge and management skills to make my business grow and thus provide a better life opportunity for my family".
Yennifer Madrid
Entrepreneur and owner of Ecobon.
Leader of Change who found a new purpose with the Program and decided to mobilize the community by promoting handwashing and encouraging better hygiene. Canamixtoj community in San Antonio Ilotenango.
Saqueo Melchor Quiché Project - Guatemala
"Je suis une femme au foyer, vendeuse et présidente du conseil d'assainissement. Grâce à Lazos de Agua, nous avons pu renforcer les conseils partenaires".
Luz Espínola
Communauté Asentamiento Liz Expedita, Projet Y Kuaa – Paraguay
"I am a member of the Water Committee, a fisherman and a Panguero. I have different capacities because I am missing an arm. I am active, organized and a promoter to improve water and sanitation conditions in my community. I am a beneficiary of a family rainwater collection system (SCALL) and a hydraulic flush toilet. I am very grateful with the benefits the project brought to the community and especially to my family. It improves our health".
Eduardo Humphries
Wawa Bar Community, Nicaragua Rural Project
"I am a housewife and single mother. I really enjoyed participating in Lazos de Agua Program. I feel very proud because they have supported me and I have learned many things. I like living with the people in my community".
María de los Ángeles Vázquez
El Junco Community, Guanajuato Project - Mexico
Through One Drop Foundation’s systemic A·B·C for Sustainability™ model and Social Art for Behaviour Change™ approach for community engagement, the Lazos de Agua Program creates a ripple effect that goes beyond United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All.
In the Lazos de Agua Program, One Drop Foundation’s Social Art for Behaviour Change Approach increases and strengthens the sustainable practice of fundamental behaviours such as: handwashing with water and soap, safe treatment and storage of drinking water, and payment of water and/or sewage service fee.
With more than 760 media mentions, the Lazos de Agua Program and its partners have brought international attention towards water-related issues in Latin America. Now that the first phase of the Program has wrapped up as a complete success, we are expanding our network to pursue our mission in the region.
Our journey continues…
The Lazos de Agua Program has succeeded in building enabling environments for the sustainability of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programs during its first phase in Latin America, exceeding its goals.
For its second phase, we seek to scale up based on what we have learned and the relationships we have built over the past six years to impact the lives of more than ONE MILLION Latin Americans.
To achieve this, we must continue working in close collaboration with governments, NGOs, other public and private sector entities, artists and community members, facilitating the sustainability of systems and the empowerment of communities.
Within the framework of the UN 2023 Water Conference, the One Drop Foundation, FEMSA Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank announced their commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 through the development and support of programmes such as Lazos de Agua, which will enable sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for more than 1 million people across Latin America by the end of 2030. In announcing this ambitious goal, a call to action was made for more organisations to join the ongoing initiative to improve living conditions in the area.
Through a second phase of the Lazos de Agua Program set to launch in 2023, we will scale our impact in countries where the Program is present as well as initiate new projects in other Latin American countries. To contribute to this new chapter, please contact Lisa Clowery, Chief Philanthropy and Corporate Development Officer.
