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About us
About us
In a dryland such as La Guajira, water availability is a priority on the local agenda. Aboriginal people living in disperse rural areas make up 42% of the total population of the region. They do not have access to treated water supply, and in the urban areas drinking water coverage only reaches 52% of the households and just 39% of them are connected to the sewage network. All of these issues are a core priority for social responsibility work at Cerrejon. The Cerrejon Water Foundation in La Guajira was thus created as part of the Cerrejon Foundations System.
Our vision
To be the best partner for the population of La Guajira as well as the best known implementing agency of social projects. Our goal is to carry out these projects in a participatory and sustainable manner, working towards promoting safe drinking water, basic sanitation and helping communities adapt to climate change.
Our mission
We are a trustworthy, efficient, and transparent executing partner, operating in the water and sanitation sector of La Guajira, promoting the human right to water. Work is done with the most vulnerable communities, located mainly in rural areas. We carry out projects that contribute to the social strengthening, welfare and sustainable development of La Guajira through our lines of work:
- Water supply solutions.
- Sanitation and hygiene solutions.
- Strategies for water sources integrated management.
- Community’s adaptation to climate change
- Alleviation of poverty
- Better availability of water and sanitation in La Guajira
Water supply Solutions
This line comprises initiatives carried out mainly in rural communities. These are geared towards improving the amount, quality, availability and accessibility of water resources. Work is done on projects such as:
- Improvement and optimization of water supply systems.
- Storage and water supply schemes.
- Schemes for the sustainability of water supply systems.
- Alternative systems for water treatment and safe drinking water provision supply.
- Strategies for the multiple usage of water (human and animal consumption as well as productive uses.)
- Implementation and optimization of irrigation systems.
- Implementation of programs for saving water and using it efficiently.
- Training programs for the operation and maintenance of water supply systems and the adequate use of water.
Sanitation and hygiene Solutions
This line of work includes the development of projects to:
- Properly manage solid and liquid waste, prioritizing rural educational centres.
- Support the implementation of sanitation systems in rural areas.
- Training programs to strengthen hygiene and sanitation practices promoting self-care and health.
- Promoting household practices to prevent and control health problems related to water management.
- Implementation of systems for treatment and appropriate use of domestic wastewater.
- Participatory selection and implementation of adequate technologies for human waste disposal.
Integrated Management of water sources
We understand the Integrated Water Sources Management as a “process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resulting economic and social welfare, in an equitable manner, without jeopardizing the sustainability of vital ecosystems”.
This line carries out projects contributing to:
- The recovery and sustainable management of water sources and their associated ecosystems.
- Reconcile productive activities and human livelihoods with their supporting ecosystems.
- Implementation of participatory strategies for watershed management, taking into account the physical, biotic, economic, sociocultural and political dimensions.
- Protection of sources of water supply systems in rural zones.
- Training for the integrated management of water resources.
- We work on social projects in water and sanitation.
- We work with a participatory approach from a dialogue of knowledges perspective.
- We work on sustainable projects tailored to the needs, capabilities and local context.
- We work under a multicriteria approach ensuring comprehensive and articulated processes.
- We implement strategies aimed at monitoring, following up and evaluating our projects.
How we do it
While the Cerrejon Water Foundation focuses on sustainable social projects, it also provides technical support to Cerrejon mining company when requested, with the purpose of mitigating impacts derived from the mining operation and related to our lines of work.
The Cerrejon Water Foundation promotes the collective construction of solutions that contribute to strengthen both the community and the local government, so that they become responsible for the maintenance and sustainability of the initiatives.Although corporations can provide funding under a social responsibility scheme to promote initiatives directed towards water safety, this task should not end there. Appropriation will be better achieved if local matching funds were made available either through the investment of royalty’s funds or contributions to the project through community labour.
We are an information access facilitator on leading edge technologies and on knowledge about new available options to local stakeholder for water, sanitation, hygiene and integrated management of water sources.
