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SCENES shines a light on young people around the world who are breaking barriers and making a difference. Character-driven short films will inspire and amaze as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories.
For as long as he can remember, Jose Diaz had never seen running water at his mother’s house in Venezuela. Access to clean and safe water was always challenging for his family, who often went days without a fresh supply.
water segura
Venezuela’s water crisis has plagued many communities in the country for decades. Growing up, Jose was told that this condition was normal. However, he did not accept the status quo. So, he decided to do something about it.
“When you recognize that these are not ideal, perfect, or adequate conditions, it motivates you to try to improve not only your quality of life but the quality of others,” explains Jose.
In 2020, Jose founded the Agua Segura Initiative with four friends. The project aims to provide clean drinking water to affected communities throughout Venezuela.
“Our idea is to attack the current problems of drinking water consumption and provide solutions to communities,” José tells Seance.
a targeted solution
Jose, a civil engineering student, designed a structured system to help solve the water crisis in Venezuela. Apart from providing water purification units to vulnerable communities, the project also focuses on research and development.
“We give tools to people living in communities so that they can learn how to use drinking water,” explains Jose. The team believes that diagnosing the problem and raising awareness leads to long-term structural change that is more beneficial to communities in the long run.
Agua Segura works in eight communities in Venezuela, helping 2,000 people access fresh running water. “We come up with tools, review, research and try to understand the problems and needs and where the project fits best,” explains Jose.
Targeted solutions are beneficial to communities, as many of them have varying water access issues. Many people in the country consume dirty water as there is often no other option.
acute water crisis
Sara Figuera, a mother of four living in the Venezuelan capital, experiences this problem daily. “We’ve been without water for a week,” says Sarah. “It comes out dirty, really dirty, brown,” she adds.
An investigation by Transparency International reports that only 18% of Venezuelans have access to safe drinking water. Contaminated water has made life very difficult for Sara, her family and millions of other people in Venezuela.
health hazards
Due to dirty water in the country, many people are suffering from dangerous waterborne diseases. Not only does it harm their health, but it also disrupts the everyday socio-economic activities of their communities. Children cannot go to school because they do not have clean clothes and people go hungry because they do not have fresh water to cook food.
Joiner Castro, a doctor who worked with Agua Segura, describes how people in affected communities suffered before the program was implemented.
“Before safe water treatment plants were set up, people had serious health problems related to the water problem,” he says.
life changing effect
Since adopting the program, many communities have reported dramatic improvements in their quality of life. The Agua Segura team said communities have seen a 40% drop in child-related waterborne infections since their program began.
“With the installation of the new purification plants, they tell us that, for example, the health problems they had been facing for a long time have progressively disappeared,” Joiner tells The Scene.
These communities have also developed a better quality of life as they no longer spend much time, money and effort trying to source clean water for their daily needs.
“Now these people have the advantage of safe water where they can get guaranteed potable water in less than five minutes from their homes,” explains Jose.
big plans
The Agua Segura team wants to create a better future for the Venezuelan people. He believes that the first step in achieving this is helping people get access to safe and clean water.
“The idea of all this is to find a way to keep growing, to help communities, to make a positive impact,” says Jose.
The team is looking to expand its operations to other Latin American countries facing severe water shortages. It’s an ambitious objective, but Agua Segura is making great strides toward achieving it.
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