How difficult is it to get water.

Richar and his family in La Roca

For the last couple of weeks I (Mark) have been helping Richar en La Roca to try and get running water installed in their house and community. We then can start things like mums and tots groups after we can get water, with your help of course!

However, to get water in a shanty town here in Peru is a lot more difficult than you think. Richar and Marianella's community was formed in 1986, and normally 2-3 years later a community is formalised and legally recognised. To be legally recognised means to be

The view from La Roca. (On the right is Richar's community and the other side is a formalised community with legal water and electricity)

able to have legally implemented running water, and electricity, and to have all the rights other citizens have. Richar and Mari now have what is referred to as 'informal electricity' and have to get buckets of water and pay for it from friends from the other side of the road who are part of a legal community. Anna and I want to help start various social action projects in La Roca, but we cannot do anything legally, without water, and we cannot get water until we have this title, and the community is legally recognised. A view of the local community shop with some of the girls who come to La Roca's kids club.

Therefore last Thursday (21st) Richar and i went into the centre of Lima to the offices where shanty towns are legalised and made into formal settlements. When we arrived Richar had all the paperwork he needed, but as has happened many time before the Peruvian bureacratic system was blocking him advancing. I went along with Richar partly to support him, but also help because unfortunately, sometimes Westerners are listened to more readily. After the adminstrator had said this and that, and not been very helpful I explained who I was and he said 'ah yes sir can you sit down there please'. We sat down and 5 minutes later he returned with a phone number which was in another area of Lima and he said 'you need to phone this person, but not till next Wednesday when he returns from training outside of Lima'. I was told there was nothing we could therefore do until Wednesday. I left feeling a bit despondent. Richar and Mari's house in 2005 before the church building was built.

In the church building now

When we left Richar was very upbeat and said how great it was that we had this number. I said 'why don't you ring it then'? He said 'better you, as I'll appear important having a Westerner helping me'. Where they store their water now.

I rang the secretary of this man and she said come in, after I'd explained who I was. We then got a short taxi ride there, and managed to get through security without any problems and went to the 6th floor. We were allowed into the offices and we spoke to the head of 'Cono Norte' or the shanty towns in the North of Lima. He was very helpful and showed Richard exactly what he needed to do, and explained the next steps and what hapened. We left contented. We returned last Wednesday to speak to Julio, the head of 'Cono Sur' the shanty towns of the South of Lima, and after being a little cold, he warmed to us and took some photocopies, of the mountain of paperwork needed, and said he would be waiting for our paperwork. He said on average it takes a month for him to be allowed to go and see the specific community, and then another 30 days for his paperwork to be formalised. Hopefully in 60 or so days we can start the process of getting water in La Roca.

View from the roof

I have found this process really rewarding, yet at the same time a real eye opener. Firstly the authority and influence I have because I'm a foreigner (how different from the treatment of foreigners in the UK) and also the way that people from the provinces (outside of Lima) and from the shanty towns are treated, politely yet not very helpfully.

Watch this space...we will update you as we move towards getting running water in La Roca!