José Luis Álvarez, president of the Sumar Juntos Initiative, explains the scope of this project in a country where 35% of homes still do not have drinking water.

In 2024, data on the population’s access to drinking water services in Ecuador remains discouraging.

According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, there are just over 5.5 million homes in the country in which one or more people live, but only 3.6 million have this basic service. That means around 35% do not have drinking water.

Drinking water is also the basic service with the second-lowest coverage level at 84.2%, only behind sewerage, which reaches 65.8% of the population.

In a recent interview, José Luis Álvarez, president of the Sumar Juntos (Add Together) Initiative of Banco Pichincha, explained that the lack of drinking water primarily affects vulnerable populations in rural areas and detailed the goals of the initiative.

How was Sumar Juntos born?

Sumar Juntos was born during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver essential supplies needed at that time.

We then sought new ways to help the community and came to grips with the reality of rural populations. There, half of the people do not have access to drinking water and suffer from health problems such as diarrhea or chronic malnutrition.

In many areas, people have unsafe water, creating a vicious cycle.

We are aware that the state is often unable to solve this problem, so we want to help solve it in some way. We have realized that by carrying out small projects in remote communities, we can generate a positive impact.

How is the work initiated?

We identify implementers or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that know about these processes. We reach agreements with them, based on public information related to chronic child malnutrition and difficulties in accessing water.

These entities include the Technical Secretariat for Ecuador Growing Without Childhood Malnutrition and the Help in Action Foundation.

How do you identify the populations to provide drinking water to?

NGOs are on the ground and know a lot about this issue. They help us along with local authorities. In the end, all the actors implement the project, which consists not only of providing infrastructure but also of community organization.

We ensure that the community knows how to maintain the system sustainably, and we also teach them about safe water consumption.

Do people have to pay a fee?

They must pay a minimum fee that is within their budget. The amount is set by the community so that the system does not stop operating and can be extended to neighboring towns.

We installed a meter at the processing plant to measure the water flow to the community. In each house, there is a meter to control and ensure there are no leaks or problems.

How many systems have you delivered?

The goal is to reach 10,000 people with the project called ’10K’. We aim to benefit 21 communities with 19 systems by June 2025, in Carchi, Cotopaxi, Morona Santiago, and Azuay.

To date, we have delivered six projects in Morona Santiago and Carchi, benefiting 1,482 people.

Does there have to be a water treatment plant near the community to be eligible?

Sumar Juntos has two possibilities. The first is rehabilitating abandoned plants. The other is building a new plant.

The two projects we delivered in Carchi were repowered, and the four in Morona Santiago were new plants.

How do you choose the beneficiary populations?

The map of malnutrition, which the Ayuda en Acción Foundation knows very well, guides us. They filter the projects, assessing if they are technically viable, if the communities are organized, and if there is a high incidence of malnutrition.

Are these the requirements?

Yes, primarily that the communities are organized so the system can be maintained over time. They must also be in rural areas and have a high rate of malnutrition.

What is the investment of Sumar Juntos?

The project has a budget of $3.2 million. Of this amount, Sumar Juntos contributes $2.7 million. The rest comes from NGOs, municipalities, or communities.

We want the investment to involve not only us but also the community, contributing labor, or the municipalities, providing machinery. The communities’ contribution is not always in cash. For example, if the community gives us 30 hours to do a minga and install a pipeline, we value it and include it in the budget.

NGOs also contribute to implementing the systems. We hope the beneficiaries feel ownership of the work and see the benefits it brings, such as fewer diseases, less travel time to get safe water, and better food.

Does the initiative plan to deliver more systems after the ’10K’ program ends?

We are working with UNICEF to assess 22 systems and with the European Union for another 11 in Chimborazo and Santa Elena.

We are joining forces to ensure that the initiative continues to grow with the commitment of authorities and suppliers.

We are confident that in Ecuador, we can do high-impact projects without large amounts of money. By 2030, we aim to benefit around 180,000 people with 130 projects.