Project Spotlight

Access to 15 million liters of water in the semiarid region of Paraiba
Centro de Educação Popular e Formação Social - CEPFS (Center for Popular Education and Social Formation)
Teixeira, Paraíba
A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006, 2008 and 2011

What your gift makes possible
US$ 1,118 (R$ 1.967,64)
= cost of building 1 cistern to capture
rainwater; this is enough to supply
a family of 8 people
= 16,000 liters, which lasts about 8 months

Jose Dias, a son of farmers born in the semi-arid region in Paraiba, suffered from hunger and thirst during his childhood while living through long periods of drought, along with millions of other Brazilians.

With the belief that people can change the reality in which they live, Jose Dias founded the Center for Popular Education and Social Formation (CEPFS) in Teixeira, Paraíba. CEPFS promotes sustainable human development through innovative initiatives ranging from micro credit to small farmers to technologies to secure water. The organization bases its work on community participation, solidarity and on empowering families to better manage local resources.

The technologies implemented through CEPFS allow the storage of 15 million liters of water in 950 cisterns. In the area of genetic resources, the organization runs the "Banco de SementesComunitários" (Community Seed Bank) project that facilitates access to seeds for the local community. The Seed Bank has the capacity to store 25,922 tons of seeds per year and has 474 members, 50.2% of whom are women. CEPFS' technologies have benefited 5,700 people from rural communities who suffer from drought. Today these families have improved their living conditions through the expansion of local water storage and increased agricultural productivity.

To learn more about CEPFS visit the website: http://www.cepfs.org/