project of the month

Indios of different ethnicities live among the indigenous communities of Marauiò and Iaureté in the Brazilian Amazon. Their survival is still dependent on the gathering of produce from the land and hunting; they barter and respect strict patriarchal hierarchies. The communities line the tributaries of the Rio Negro but this water source is actually the biggest cause of the illnesses that are decimating the Indios. The river water, full of decomposing germs, is a hive of bacteria and viruses that cause epidemics of dysentery and verminosis. 

Such a serious situation demands intervention in order to arrest the endemic spread of illnesses which, in a place like the Amazon, can often be lethal. To restore the health and hope of adults and children, the only solution is to dig wells: underground water, pumped from a depth of 20 metres, is not contaminated and can be used by the Indios communities without any fear.

According to studies carried out in loco by specialised technical teams, it is necessary to construct the following: 4 artesian wells of 20 metres in depth, 3 of which in the Yanomami communities of the Rio Maruià and another at the Salesian mission in Iaureté, where another artesian well of a depth of 100 metres must be dug. In this way it will be possible to help 84 river communities for a total of 7837 people.

Construction materials must be purchased and technicians and manual workers hired. To cover the cost of the pumps, reducers, cables, pipes, fuel, oil, the hiring of a boat for the transportation of the materials, technical staff and manual labour, € 17,300 is required for 4 20-metre wells and another € 18,560 for the 100-metre well, for a total of € 35,860.