Guatemala is the country in the region with the highest percentage of indigenous population, over 43%. The Water Fund has developed a number of interventions there that have been enriched by working together with indigenous communities.
The work of the several Water Fund programmes in the country has followed the basic premises of dialogue, respect for their culture and the promotion of their active participation.
From the time of planning activities, the implementation of water and sanitation systems has been accompanied by the symbolism and rituals of the host communities, in accordance with their knowledge and value systems.
In the tasks related to water collection, sanitation and hygiene practices, women are mainly responsible, so their active participation and particular knowledge has also been taken into account. Essential to the success of the actions has been the intercultural approach, avoiding cultural exclusion or assimilation, developing bilingual or graphic materials and working with facilitators who know their languages. Time, objectives and means have been respected, which has led to greater participation.
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While the work focuses on communities, it also focuses on the context of working with communities at the municipal level which, despite some economic and technical limitations on their part, allows for better development and results in the component of integrated water resources management and environmental protection, promoting significant achievements for water and sanitation services.
In terms of 2020 actions, the San Marcos programme carried out an awareness-raising campaign including several spots in indigenous languages to promote handwashing and to fight against COVID-19. In addition, collection points were set up and water and sanitation services were reinforced in various localities, strengthening community water boards.
