Amira Xicay
El Durazno, San Martin Jilotepeque
My name is Armira Xicay and live in El Durazno, a village located in San Martín Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango.
My husband is Otto Leopoldo Xicay and we have 3 kids: Claudia Carolina age 7, Santos Fidel age 5 and Dulce Gregoria age 1.
One of our big problems is the lack of water at home. This is the reason why I have to get up every day at 4 a.m., take a jar and start my two journeys to get some water before dawn. There is not a single day when I can have a break; it is a daily routine if we want to have water during the day, at least to prepare food for my family.
Life is hard. Water is in puddles about 2 kilometers from home, but it almost disappears during the dry season. The path that leads to the water is narrow, hard to walk and very muddy during the rainy season. It takes half an hour to get to the water source if I walk fast, so it takes me one hour each round trip.
Water is a treasure for us; we take care of each drop like if it was the last one. During the rainy season we try to harvest as much water as we can, so at least I do not need to go to the nearest river to do my laundry; we even use this water for drinking.
Hauling water is a women’s activity. I have been doing this since I was a child. My daughter helps me, I do not want this hard work for her. I wish something better for my family.
This is why we asked ABPD for support. We need home water in El Durazno and then we will stop this suffering; this life is the same for all the families in the village.
Thanks to the generosity of Create Good Foundation, Armira and all of the other women and girls in El Durazno will no longer have to make arduous daily trips to haul water. Construction of a water system began at the beginning of September and it will take about four months to complete the project.
