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ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

sponsored by ADESJO are a good example. ADESJO has

been accompanying these communities for 40 years.

Today, the leaders in the 83 communities are the sons

and daughters of the founders of the first organizations

and they will pass this responsibility to their own children.

While there have been notable successes, many prob-

lems remain unsolved. There is a need to reduce the

waste of water. Irrigation efficiency must increase from

its current 25 per cent, and there is a need to reduce

the 50 per cent water loss from aqueducts in most

major cities. The sources and quality of water must

be preserved. Most basins are facing deforestation and

contamination with pesticides and untreated water.

And people need to be conscious of the real economic

value of water and willing to pay for it.

Water and Sewerage, the Water and Sewerage Corporation of Santo

Domingo, the Water and Sewerage Corporation of Santiago, and the

Water and Sewerage Corporation of La Romana. A key success of

the programme has been the creation of educational guidelines on

water that are used in schools from the first to the eighth grade. The

programme has also implemented the Water Quality Watcher project

which integrates civil society in the gathering of physical, chemical

and bacteriological information on water quality. The programme

organizes lectures in different communities and has a Hall of Water

Culture that is visited by many students.

Water cooperation and education results

Some key results from this process have been:

• the organization of all 89,000 users into 32 water users’

associations

• a reduction of conflicts over the use of water

due to better organization and increased administrative capacity

• increases in distribution efficiency

• a contribution to a democratic culture in rural areas

• increased recovery of maintenance costs from an average

of 17 per cent when the systems were administered by the

Government, to an average of 80 per cent now that it is

administered by water users’ associations

• the construction of new water infrastructure and improvement

of some of the existing infrastructure.

As a result of all these efforts in DR the irrigated lands, which represent

11 per cent of agricultural land, now produce 60 per cent of agriculture

production. The country is producing more than 80 per cent of the food

needed to feed its own population and more than 4 million tourists

every year. This has contributed to reducing poverty and improving

the health of the population with better access to food at a lower price.

One of the most interesting institutions involved in water coopera-

tion, sustainability and poverty eradication in DR is the San Jose de

Ocoa Development Association (ADESJO). This non-governmental

organization was founded by father Jose Luis Quinn fromCanada in the

1970s and it operates in the San Jose province located in the south part

of the country’s Central Mountain area. The success of ADESJO centres

on people involvement and horizontal cooperation among intended

beneficiaries. ADESJO has promoted a strong community involvement

in its own development process. In each of the 83 communities in San

Jose de Ocoa, it has promoted the creation of a Community Board that

is in charge of planning and coordinating community development

projects. It also has specialized committees on irrigation, reforestation,

forest monitoring, producer associations and women’s associations. All

of these committees do voluntary work in community projects and in

the plot of each farmer through a rotatory scheme. The philosophy that

promotes ADESJO is self reliance and mutual help.

Lessons learned and challenges

The lessons learned are that cooperation is key component for water

development success: cooperation between north and south, south and

south, country cooperation and above all, horizontal cooperation at

the community level. People involvement at all stages of the devel-

opment process through an interactive approach can create a better

understanding of the problem and more commitment to contributing

to the solution. True development requires an extended commitment to

develop a self-management culture that allows individuals and commu-

nities to take action on their own. Los Martinez and other projects

Case study: Los Martinez

Los Martinez is an interesting example of community

development. It was founded in the early 1900s, 15 km away

from San Jose de Ocoa at an altitude of 400-900 metres

above sea level. Until 1980 it suffered extreme poverty with

an unemployment rate of about 50 per cent and high levels of

illiteracy. Housing was often inadequate and most people did

not own any land, or the land was unsuitable for agriculture

due to steep slopes. The community did not have roads,

schools or health facilities. Most people made a living from

migratory agriculture and wood coal production – resulting in the

deforestation and soil degradation of 80 per cent of the land.

With the help of ADESJO the community organized a

farmers’ association called ‘La Vencedora’ (The Winner);

a women’s association called La Nueva Esperanza (The

New Hope); a community board, an irrigation committee, a

reforestation committee, a forest monitoring committee and

an association of Fathers and Friends of the School.

Much has been accomplished by the Los Martinez

community, which comprises 47 families and approximately

235 inhabitants. They initiated a ‘Private Agrarian Reform’ that

extended to other communities in San Jose de Ocoa. Those

who have land share up to 50 per cent of it with those who do

not. In return, they receive access to an irrigation system that

makes their land more productive and profitable. In addition,

the community now has a school, health centre, aqueduct, new

houses for the poorest people, a soil conservation programme,

a fruit tree planting programme, a small fish farm, a mini

hydroelectric centre that generates 15 KW and provides every

home with energy 24 hours a day for US$2.5 per month, a

small honey production farm for women, an Internet centre

and full employment.

Agricultural production covers almost 41 ha, with landowners

sharing their land in return for access to an irrigation system

Image: José Del Carmen Cabrera