YAKU – Rainwater-Harvest and Filters for Safe Drinking Water

💛 Millions of rural families face water insecurity due to climate change and inadequate infrastructure.

Water scarcity is intensifying worldwide as climate change alters rainfall patterns, accelerates glacier retreat, and increases the frequency of droughts and floods. In many rural and peri-urban communities, centralized water systems fail to provide reliable and safe access to drinking water. As a result, households must rely on unsafe surface sources or expensive alternative supplies, increasing health risks and economic vulnerability. 

The burden falls disproportionately on rural households, especially those living in dispersed communities where extending centralized infrastructure is costly and technically challenging. Limited storage capacity, water contamination, and service interruptions force families to invest significant time and money securing water. These constraints increase exposure to waterborne diseases and reduce productivity and well-being. Yaku addresses this challenge by implementing a community-based water access model that combines rainwater harvesting systems with household ceramic filtration. This dual approach increases the local availability of water while ensuring that it is safe for consumption, strengthening household resilience to climate shocks and unreliable water supply systems.

👥 Who Will Benefit

Primary beneficiaries

• Rural and peri-urban households facing water insecurity
• Families living in areas with intermittent or unreliable water supply
• Communities relying on untreated surface water sources
• Caregivers responsible for household water management (often women)

Secondary beneficiaries

• Children in affected households (reduced exposure to waterborne disease)
• Local communities adopting safer water practices
• Municipal systems facing pressure from water scarcity
• Public health systems through reduced disease burden

In Bolivia and similar regions in Latin America

Access to safe water remains uneven, particularly in rural and indigenous communities where infrastructure coverage is limited. In these areas, households often rely on unsafe sources or must store water for long periods, increasing contamination risk. Climate variability and weak water governance further exacerbate the challenge, leaving many communities without reliable and affordable access to safe drinking water. 

📊 Metrics Donors Can Understand

Evidence from research on rainwater harvesting and household filtration technologies suggests meaningful health improvements when both approaches are combined.

Evidence-backed outcomes:

Participants showed:

• Up to 64% reduction in diarrheal disease in households using ceramic water filters
• 31% reduction in diarrhea risk in long-term evaluations of household water filtration technologies
• Potential 60–75% reduction in diarrhea incidence when rainwater harvesting is combined with household filtration
• 97.7–100% removal of E. coli in controlled evaluations of ceramic filtration systems  3.1 Informe de investigación -…

The program also tracks improvements in water security using the IWISE-12 scale, a validated measure of household water insecurity, along with reductions in time spent collecting water.

🌍 Why This Matters

Safe water is one of the most powerful and cost-effective interventions in global health. By combining rainwater harvesting with household water treatment, Yaku addresses both water availability and water safety, two of the most critical barriers facing vulnerable communities. Supporting this approach can reduce disease, strengthen climate resilience, and help families gain greater control over a resource essential for health, dignity, and economic stability.