A grandma proudly gives her family a safe place to go

In 2010, the government of the Philippines developed a road map to achieve universal water and sanitation services coverage by 2028 and we are working to support this goal. So far, we have reached more than 8.7 million people in need of safe water or sanitation in this beautiful island country. Corazon and her family are some of them.

Married more than 40 years, Corazon and her husband raised their four children and eleven grandchildren from the place they call home in Amadeo. Here, the couple farm pineapples, coffee beans, and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables to sell. Their children are all grown now, and Corazon is proud to see her sons and daughters working so hard each day while her grandchildren attend school.

“I am proud of my oldest granddaughter; she is now a teacher.”

Corazon celebrates all her family has worked so hard to accomplish and likewise, she is grateful for the recent opportunity to finance a solution that has improved their life even more.

Until a few years ago, Corazon’s family lacked access to a toilet at home. They used a makeshift toilet about 10 meters from their home. The structure was made of a hole in the earth and some rusted, galvanized sheets of metal to surround the area. There was no roof so this posed unsafe and unhealthy challenges, especially during the rainy season when the toilet would flood and overflow. Corazon wanted to give her children and grandchildren a safe, healthy place to go. Through our work, she was able to do so.

Water.org partners with the ASA Philippines Foundation. The organization works to help increase access to micro-loan products to help Filipino families break the cycle of poverty. One such microfinancing option made available by Water.org and ASA are small loans for water or sanitation solutions. Corazon applied for such a loan and received it to help construct a toilet and a water connection on her property. With a small loan of about $200, Corazon’s husband and her son were able to buy the materials to install a water-sealed, ceramic toilet, a septic tank, and a bathroom structure made of concrete.

“It was a big help to work with ASA.”

The bathroom is now a part of Corazon’s home, where she is happy to welcome her grandchildren for visits. Now, Corazon can proudly and confidently offer them a place to go while they enjoy playing with her on the farm.

We give our everything every day to increase the uptake of our solutions to help remove the financial barriers between people in need and access to safe water and sanitation at home. Your gifts help reach more families in need in the Philippines and around the world.