Since January of 2004, B.W.B.T. has been working to improve the lives of the people in Carbonera, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Carbonera is a fishing village located on the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 120 miles south of the Texas/Mexico border. The major source of livelihood in the village is fishing, which produces an average daily income of approximately $10 per family.

The running water in Carbonera is not potable. The people in the village are forced to purchase bottled water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. At $1.50 per bottle, this expense takes a sizable percentage of the family income. A family of four uses approximately five gallons of water per day. The water is delivered from a source outside of Carbonera and, therefore, does not produce revenue within the village. In addition, gardening in the village has been non-existent due to the high salt content in the local water, which does not allow for the growth of nutritional fruits and vegetables.

B.W.B.T. has constructed a dormitory in Carbonera that houses teams working in the village. A reverse osmosis system has been installed and working in the dormitory, along with a 6,000 gallon water tank. The system can successfully purify and provide up to 3,000 gallons of potable water per day. With this system, teams staying in the dormitory have fresh running water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

B.W.B.T. has now built a water plant and has installed an additional and larger reverse osmosis system and water tank in Carbonera. This system will provide up to 10,000 gallons of potable water per day. Although this water could be given to the people in the village, B.W.B.T. believes this is an opportunity to provide a source of employment, revenue, and educational opportunities in the village.

Education in Carbonera has been a major focus for B.W.B.T. Until 2006, the school system in the village ended at eighth grade. The Mexican government provided a high school principal to teach. They did not, however, provided facilities. B.W.B.T. has constructed a high school complex. The complex, now consists of two general classroom buildings, one library/computer center, and a vocational/technical building.

B.W.B.T. plans to make the water plant a business project of the vocational/technical segment of the high school. A resident of Carbonera will be hired and trained to manage the water facility. The day-to-day jobs created by the business will be carried out by students. Teams from civic organizations in the United States will work in conjunction with the high school to teach the manager and workers how to set up and run the business. The water business will consist of managing the water facility where the water is purified, washing/sanitizing five-gallon water bottles, filling/storing/delivering the bottles of water, collecting the empty bottles, and managing the sale of the water.

B.W.B.T. is in the process of establishing a Mexican charity. The profits from the water business will be managed by the charity. The charity will distribute the funds back into the community of Carbonera for educational resources and to help develop a solid infrastructure in the village. The charity will be under the direction of a board of directors consisting of members of B.W.B.T. and residents of Carbonera. Once established and functioning, the water will also be sold to similar villages outside of Carbonera, providing an outside source of revenue into the village. Funds from the project will also help support the College Sponsorship Program.

The development of this project has been carried out in three stages:

1.purchase of land, reverse osmosis system, well installation, and obtaining permits, pour foundation for building (complete)

2.construction of a building to house the water business (complete)

3.purchase of water tank and pump (complete) washer, bottles, stands, and a delivery truck (needed)

P.O. Box 202

Friendswood, Texas  77549

832-274-3893

info@builderswithoutbordersoftexas.org

Water Project

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