Big News from the Mission: Completion of the Water Project in Panimaquip

For years, life in the Guatemalan community of Panimaquip revolved around water scarcity. The community often went 15 to 20 days without water. Families waited for truck deliveries of water that were costly and unpredictable. When water arrived, the men in the community stayed home from work to help carry heavy containers from house to house. Women rationed every drop, waiting for weeks to wash clothes and cooking carefully so the water would last. During the rainy season, families collected water in open pits lined with plastic, knowing it wasn’t safe but having no other choice. Mosquitoes bred there, which accelerated the spread of dengue and other diseases.

This is the reality that FOSL supporters like you helped to change.

Today, we’re delighted to share that the Mission’s work to establish a permanent and dependable water system in Panimaquip is complete. Thanks to your generosity and partnership, this project will have a critical impact in supporting community stability, health, and dignity.

Over the past year, San Lucas Mission leaders worked side by side with the Panimaquip community, local authorities, and the nonprofit Agua del Pueblo to confront a complex water crisis. The challenges included aging infrastructure, reduced flow from existing springs, and long distances between water sources and the community.

Together, they developed and implemented a comprehensive solution—a full overhaul of the water system designed to meet the community’s current and future needs. This included drilling a new well, installing 7.5 kilometers (about 4.6 miles) of new piping, and constructing three new aerial overpasses.

Now, Panimaquip has a reliable water supply that will serve the community for years to come, ending cycles of scarcity and reducing the burden on families. The community celebrated its new water system this past weekend with a ceremony and community gathering, with plenty of fireworks and food to go around.

What makes this achievement especially meaningful is that it reflects the Mission’s long-standing commitment to partnering with the community to implement change. The people of Panimaquip were involved at every stage, from planning to implementation. Community members dedicated countless hours of labor to digging trenches and installing new piping so that their children could have a better life than they did.

At the celebration, one community member said: “Seeing the running water was seeing a dream come true.”

Thank you for believing in this work and for standing with the people of San Lucas and its surrounding communities. Because of you, clean, dependable water is finally a reality for the people of Panimaquip.