Realized on assignment for the AVSI Foundation

Afflicted by the pandemic and facing severe economic and social crisis, Mexico has to deal also with drought, that according to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), affects 84% of the national territory and 1,295 municipalities.

A long-standing problem, exacerbated by climate change, global warming and poor water management. An organization run by indigenous women is seeking to put an end to the oxymoron that has been conditioning the daily lives of the people of the clouds and rain, who have been forced to live without clean water in Mexico for a long time. “Previously the women of these communities had to walk 5 kilometers for two buckets of water, now having it at home -says Patricia Eduviges Silva López, leader of the local NGO “MUDEM”- they just have to open the tap of the tank to get water. They save time, effort and are confident that their right to water is respected”. Patricia, supported by an international project funded by the European Union and by the government of Oaxaca and implemented by the AVSI Foundation, has thought to start building ferrocement tanks, inside which the rainwater collected through channels installed on the roofs of the houses, can be harvested. The water collected in the cisterns is then filtered and all it takes is turning on a tap to get plenty of water and to meet the needs of the communities. This one-year project realized in 2019 was like a watershed for them and involved the construction of 20 tanks between the villages of Santa Catarina Estancia and Mogote Colorado, in the municipality of Santiago Ayuquililla, in the state of Oaxaca. With a capacity of 20,000 liters of water each, they allowed people to see respected a fundamental right. Notwithstanding this, in the Mixteca, as well as in many areas of southern, central and northern Mexico, the lack of investments for the construction of water pipelines and for the maintenance of Mexico’s 6,000 dams, many of which are very old, has left the natives in precarious conditions. Those who don’t have access to water for domestic and agricultural use, still suffer the consequences of the dry season, worsened by the increasing effects of climate change. The global issue of drought does not spare anyone, from the Amazon to China, from Europe to the United States, endangering crops, animals, food production, industries and entire populations, while the planet is running out of water. Currently, with more than 7.5 billion people on the planet, 2.2 billion people have limited access to safe drinking water, and by 2025, according to the latest World Health Organization and Unicef State of the World’s Sanitation report, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. In the indigenous communities visited in the state of Oaxaca, women face these problems every day, because without water it is impossible to irrigate fields, take care of livestock, do housework and have access to food. They also have to face the problem of respect of their human rights, violence against many of them, inequality in opportunities for access to work and education. And in Mexico these differences are very noticeable. “As a Mexican woman -says Letzi Sanchez, a staff member of the AVSI Foundation in Mexico- I have noticed that when women are encouraged and accompanied to recognize their dignity and the ability they have to generate change, a multiplier effect is obtained”. Most of the men in these villages works in northern Mexico and goes back home once a year, so it is the women who have to deal with problems such as access to water and food to provide for their families and they are becoming aware of their fundamental role in the development of their communities. “One of my wishes, which I hope one day will come true, at least in the communities where we go -concludes Patricia Eduviges Silva López- is that poverty will be eradicated and that access to food and education, to make children happier, would be possible”.

A girl runs on a field after bringing water to the animals in a stable, in the indigenous community of Santa Catarina Estancia. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems of varying intensity, caused by both climate change and poor water management. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some women of the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, are seen gathered for the preparation of a natural fertilizer to be used in local plantations. Most of their husbands works in northern Mexico and it is the women who have to deal with problems such as the access to water and food to provide for their families. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
An aerial view of the arid landscape from the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, in the state of Oaxaca. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems of varying intensity, caused by both climate change and poor water management. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some people of the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, are seen working on the preparation of a natural fertilizer to be used in their plantations. Following the construction of rainwater harvesting tanks, built to overcome the problems of drought and lack of water resources, people have finally been able to start using water at home, according to their needs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some students of the “Conalep” High School, are seen preparing a natural mixture based on aromatic plants, to be used as a bio-pesticide in the school garden. Huajuapan de León, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some people of the indigenous community of San José Yatandoyo, are seen gathered in front of a rainwater harvesting basin built to cope with the lack of water resources in the area. Tlaxiaco, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Patricia Eduviges Silva López, teacher and leader of the local NGO MUDEM, is seen together with some women of the indigenous community of Santa Catarina Estancia, working on the waterproofing of a rainwater harvesting tank to prepare it for the rainy season, using a natural paint based on water, nopal, salt and lime. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Lorenza Reyes Vázquez fills some buckets with water from a rainwater harvesting tank. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems caused by both climate change and poor water management at a state level. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
An aerial view of the arid landscape in the village of Santa Catarina Estancia, in the state of Oaxaca. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems of varying intensity, caused by both climate change and poor water management. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
A man carries two buckets of rainwater which is collected in a reinforced concrete tank. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems of varying intensity, caused by both climate change and poor water management at a state level. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Azucena Asunción Martínez Sántos is seen portrayed with her daughter Wendy Crespo Martínez while washing dishes in the courtyard of her home, in the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado. Following the construction of rainwater harvesting tanks, built to overcome the problems of drought and lack of water resources, people have finally been able to start using water at home, according to their needs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Daniel Crespo Reyes is seen with his two sons in the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado. Since the family has access to water, thanks to a rainwater harvesting tank built in their courtyard, their life has significantly improved. According to studies by the National Water Commission (Conagua), 84% of the Mexican territory suffers from drought problems of varying intensity, caused by both climate change and poor water management. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some women of the indigenous community of Santa Catarina Estancia are seen gathered for breakfast. Most of their husbands works in northern Mexico and it is the women who have to deal with problems such as the access to water and food to provide for their families. Thanks to the support of Patricia Eduviges Silva López, teacher and leader of the local NGO MUDEM, and other local organizations, women are becoming aware of their fundamental role in the development of their communities. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
8-year-old Jimena Yoselin Herrera González watches television on the bed while her parents stitch rubber bladders for a company that produces footballs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some people of the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, are seen working on the preparation of a natural fertilizer to be used in their plantations. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Some turkeys are seen in the courtyard of a house in the indigenous community of Santa Catarina Estancia. Following the construction of rainwater harvesting tanks, many families in the community were able to meet their water needs and to provide for their farm animals. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
A child plays in the courtyard of his home in the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Catalina Barragán Vidal is seen in her garden, in the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, where most people did not have access to water up to 3 years ago. Following the construction of rainwater harvesting tanks, people have finally been able to start using water at home, according to their needs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
Araceli Crespo Barragán shows a red radish freshly picked from the garden, in the indigenous community of Mogote Colorado, where most people did not have access to water up to 3 years ago. Following the construction of rainwater harvesting tanks, people have finally been able to start using water at home and also growing fruit and vegetables for their food needs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI
A pig, a turkey and a dog rest in the shade of some papaya trees in the yard of the Herrera Santos family, in the indigenous community of Santa Catarina Estancia. Not having access to any water resources, the family buys rainwater collected in a neighbor’s tank to meet their domestic needs. Santiago Ayuquililla, Mexico 2022. © Matteo Bastianelli/AVSI

WATERSHED  (2022)