Water and sanitation access for the Embera indigenous communities in Alto Sinú

The Embera are an indigineous community living in areas of Alto Sinú (Department of Córdoba) and the Pacific region (Antioquia and Chocó) of Colombia. Currently some descendants live according to their traditions and social organisation. In many cases they have no access to basic sanitation and/or drinking water services to guarantee good hygiene and health conditions. Through innovative, autonomous and sustainable solutions we work in several indigenous Embera communities (Tuis-Tuis, Cañas Finas and San Rafael) to improve hygiene, access to water and, in particular, sanitation. 

The project provides a natural solution to wastewater contamination in indigenous communities displaced by the armed conflict through green filters activated with sludge as absorbent material. Testing newly developed technologies, successfully implemented in Europe, for the first time in Latin America.

This Green filters will be developed according to the IUCN Global Standard for NbS (Nature-Based Solutions) both in the design, development and monitoring stages.