OREANDA-NEWS. April 30, 2015. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its partners have launched an innovative pilot project that will bring access to water and sanitation services to dispersed rural communities in Peru. Utilizing \\$1 million in both Bank and partner funds channeled through the IDB-managed AquaFund, this effort is made possible by the Governments of Switzerland, Spain and Austria and the PepsiCo Foundation.

With Peru as their target, the partners are responding to one of the most acute water and sanitation challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Providing sustainable safe water access and sanitation services to families living in sparsely populated rural communities is a challenge. Traditional technical solutions are not cost-efficient while maintenance services needed to keep systems working are difficult to provide as these communities are hard to reach. Peru is home to more than 3.3 million of inhabitants across 73,500 rural disperse communities, or less than 200 inhabitants per community. Only 12 percent of the homes in these areas have access to water through public water systems, which is not disinfected or treated in 99 percent of the cases.

As such, the collaboration is working closely with the Peruvian government on an approach that is both comprehensive yet tailored to the needs of each population. Specifically, the project seeks to design and implement solutions that integrate low-cost adapted infrastructure alongside an intervention model to assure sustainability through facility management and use.

According to Jean Gabriel Duss, Director of Cooperation, Global Programmes, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) “access to drinking water and sanitation is crucial to leading a decent life in a society that respects human rights. Water and sanitation is everyone’s responsibility.”

Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) uses its expertise to generate a virtuous circle that will ensure a reliable and affordable basic infrastructure service in the partner countries, specifically by financing best-practice projects with high potential for replication and by supporting thematic or regional financing facilities with development banks working towards the same goals. “The longstanding partnership with the AquaFund”, said Martin Peter, Director of Swiss Economic Cooperation SECO in Peru, “is exemplary andit also helps us in leveraging the substantial knowledge and experience of the IDB in our own water and sanitation projects to the benefit of the Peruvian population.”

“Water and Sanitation are thematic priorities of the Austrian Development Cooperation” added Austrian Ambassador Andreas Rendl. “We support an approach that provides all parts of a country’s population with adequate and affordable access to clean water and sanitation. This project follows this principle and responds to the particular needs of the Peruvian population.”

“Spain's commitment to securing the human right to water and sanitation is a firm one, materializing both in policy and in specific initiatives” stated Juan Carlos S?nchez Alonso, the Spanish Ambassador in Peru. “This project focuses on finding sustainable solutions where they are most needed, such as in dispersed rural settings, and is in line with other work financed by Spanish Cooperation's Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund in Peru.”

“We believe that strong partnerships are a critical and driving force for positive change in underserved communities” said Luis Montoya, President, PepsiCo Latin America Beverages. "The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, is proud to be the first private sector partner of the Inter-American Development Bank’s AquaFund. Our \\$5 million contribution expands on the valuable relationships between IDB and PepsiCo, which has helped with expertise and funds to spur social development throughout Latin America and make change possible.”

As the executing agency of this project, Milo Stanojevich, National Director of CARE Peru explained that "Providing water and sanitation services in dispersed rural communities is essential for the integral development of the most vulnerable families. This project is a clear example of the collective commitment of the State, international cooperation, civil society and the private sector with those poor and marginalized families; and it is an opportunity to show the work and experience of CARE in its fight to eradicate poverty in a strategic and sustainable way."

About the IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) provides financial products and technical resources to assist countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce poverty and inequality in a sustainable manner. As a leading source of multilateral financing, the IDB seeks to create opportunities for cooperation in the region.

About AquaFund

AquaFund provides resources to reach goals established within the framework of the IDB’s Water and Sanitation Initiative and the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations (UN). It facilitates investment in water and sanitation and water resources management, solid waste, and waste waters. It supports services related to these areas that are sustainable and accessible for the poor. The Fund also helps its IDB client countries to address new challenges presented by climate change, the rapid degradation freshwater ecosystems, and increasing water insecurity.

About AECID

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is the main management body for Spanish cooperation, which combats poverty and works for sustainable human development. The agency was created to foster full development, conceived as a fundamental human right, with the fight against poverty as part of the process for building this right.

About PepsiCo Foundation

Established in 1962, the PepsiCo Foundation is the philanthropic anchor of PepsiCo, collaborating with non-profit organizations to develop innovative solutions to challenges facing underserved communities around the world. In support of PepsiCo's commitment to Performance with Purpose, the PepsiCo Foundation provides grants to eligible non-profit organizations to advance progress in the fields of Human, Environmental, and Talent Sustainability.

About SDC

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation. It supports countries in their efforts to overcome poverty- and development-related problems.

About SECO

The Economic Cooperation and Development Division within the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO is responsible for the planning and implementation of economic cooperation and development activities with middle income developing countries, with countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as the new Member States of the European Union. It seeks to ease its partner countries' integration into the world economy and promote economic growth that is socially responsible as well as environmentally and climate-friendly. The division also coordinates Switzerland's relations with the World Bank Group, the regional development banks and the economic organisations of the United Nations.

About CARE

CARE is one of the largest NGOs in the world and the one with largest presence in Peru, where this year celebrates 45 years of operations seeking greater opportunities for girls in poverty, through various strategic development programs. CARE has 70 years of worldwide operations and has presence in 90 countries, benefitting 97 million people during last year alone. In Peru, CARE implements development programs in twenty country departments, where it has directly benefited 177.443 people last year.