1 Million Liters of Safe Drinking Water in Mexico

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

We’re heading into the rainy season here in Central Mexico—a time of opportunity, urgency, and transformation. And thanks to your incredible support, we’re more ready than ever to make the most of it.

As we reviewed our data from 2024, we discovered something exciting: we didn’t install 430 rainwater harvesting systems (as we reported last time)—we installed 466. That means over 3,400 people gained access to safe, sustainable drinking water last year through our rainwater harvesting systems. Your support helped make this our most impactful year yet—and 2025 is already off to a powerful start.

Strengthening Our Municipal Partnerships

One of the year’s biggest highlights is our deepening collaboration with the Municipal Government of San Diego de la Unión. After working together to build 244 rainwater harvesting systems together in 2024, we recently signed a new contract to construct at least 160 more systems this year. This municipality continues to face some of the worst groundwater contamination we’ve ever registered—20 of the 23 wells that serve 59 different rural villages are contaminated with excessive levels of arsenic and/or fluoride, making rainwater an essential alternative.

But our partnership goes beyond construction. Together with the municipal government, we’re launching a series of educational workshops across multiple communities, helping residents better understand the specific water contamination issues affecting their health and environment. Later this month, we’ll hold a joint press conference with the Mayor to announce the initiative publicly and further raise awareness about the importance of safe water access.

Community Milestones

We recently completed two impactful projects in communities with extreme water challenges:

• In Vivienda de Abajo, we worked closely with families to build 14 systems, and hosted a visit with donors who were able to witness the project’s impact firsthand.
  
  
• In San Pedro de la Sierra, in partnership with Amistad Canada, we built 25 systems in a community that has no existing access to water. During a recent site visit, members of Amistad Canada, and other institutions, met with families and saw just how transformative this project is.

These moments are reminders of what’s possible when trust, partnership, and resources come together.

Building Systems and Building Capacity

In 2025, we’re not just building systems—we’re building local capacity. We recently launched an exciting initiative to train community-based “multipliers” who will help scale our work far beyond what our small team could do alone.

Through three simultaneous workshops led by Caminos staff, we trained 17 individuals—both men and women and many of whom have been part of previous installations. These trainees each helped build a full rainwater harvesting system as part of their training. Now, they’re leading the installation of 50 new systems in partnership with SECOPA across several communities in San Diego de la Unión and Dolores Hidalgo.

Each system they install will be tracked, and later this year we’ll carry out monitoring and evaluation to ensure quality. Where needed, we’ll provide further training and continue working with these community installers on future projects—including with the San Diego Municipal Government. These installations create local jobs, lower costs for families, and multiply our ability to respond to the growing need.

Looking Ahead

In total, we plan to build over 300 large-scale rainwater systems in 2025, with many already underway. With the rainy season just around the corner, the timing is critical—and so is your continued support.

Alongside longtime grassroots partners like CUVAPAS, SECOPA, and the San Cayetano Community Center, we are committed to reaching families most affected by water scarcity and contamination. While institutional partners like the Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation and local governments are helping fund materials, the reality is that this work depends on donors like you.

To meet our ambitious 2025 goals, we need to raise $52,000 in the first half of the year. These funds will directly support more rainwater systems, training, education, and oversight—the elements that make this program not just effective, but sustainable.

Thank you for believing in this work and for walking with us year after year. Together, we’re making water a source of health, dignity, and opportunity for hundreds of families this year.

With deep gratitude, 

Dylan Terrell