Water Engineers for the Americas

Water Engineers for the Americas (WEFTA) has been improving the quality of life and health of people living in developing countries in Central and South America for more than 12 years years by promoting community-based, self-help projects. WEFTA provides technical and administrative support to needy communities for the construction of drinking water and wastewater systems by working with local non-profit organizations. By assisting communities in managing their water resources, WEFTA increases access to safe drinking water, makes more clean water available, reduces waterborne diseases, improves hygiene and protects the environment.

WEFTA helps communities create their own sustainable and appropriate water systems, including sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution to families through in-home or communal standpipes. WEFTA is one of the few organizations that also helps create wastewater collection and treatment systems. All work is managed by local NGOs or other local partners, and all labor is performed by community members; WEFTA provides volunteer technical planning, oversight and evaluation, and assists the community to find funding for construction, if necessary.

WEFTA has completed dozens of projects in Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru. It has pending projects in Nicaragua and Ecuador.

WEFTA's partners have included local NGOs as well as international NGOs, such as Habitat for Humanity, Lutheran World Relief and Save the Children. In Honduras, we have partnered with USAID-ACCESO to imrpove the health and livelihoods of 30,000 people, primarily through clean water.

WEFTA is currently designing, in partnership with numerous communities along the Urubamba River in Peru, a system of waste treatment plants to process raw sewage and industrial waste currently being flushed into the river, potentially creating a health, environmental and economic crisis. This will be the largest project WEFTA has undertaken and will improve livelihoods and economic development in the region known as The Sacred Valley of the Incas-- fast becoming one of Latin America's most popular tourist destinations due to its ecological diversity and historic sites.