Bringing clean, reliable water directly to households to improve health, hygiene, and quality of life for an entire community.
CannedWater4Kids (CW4K) is proud to announce our support for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB@UWM) chapter as they advance a vital clean water project in the rural community of Pulay, located in the Nebaj/Cotzal/Chajul Municipality of Guatemala’s Quiche Department.
This initiative, led by our dedicated CW4K Board Member Marissa Jablonski, aims to deliver reliable, safe drinking water to approximately 900 residents across 150 households and one local school. By partnering with EWB@UWM, we’re helping bring sustainable infrastructure to a community that has long faced challenges with water access.
Project Overview: A Gravity-Fed Water System for Pulay
The core of the project involves designing and implementing a comprehensive gravity-fed water distribution system sourced from a local spring. Key components include:
- Constructing one spring box to capture and protect the water source
- Installing a conveyance line to transport water from the spring
- Building one break pressure tank and multiple break pressure valves to manage flow and pressure
- Adding a chlorinator for safe disinfection
- Erecting one distribution tank
- Installing seven branching distribution lines
- Placing meters, meter boxes, and tap stands at each home for equitable and metered access
These elements will work together to provide clean, reliable water directly to households, improving health, hygiene, and quality of life for the entire community.
EWB@UWM’s On-the-Ground Role and Broader Impact
While the upcoming EWB@UWM trip to Guatemala won’t oversee the entire construction, our partners’ dedicated student team will make a real difference on the ground: conducting essential land surveying, laying out the jobsite, collecting PMEL (Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) data, and preparing for future phases. Just as importantly, these visits build lasting relationships with the Pulay community, fostering trust and showing how collaborative efforts can create meaningful, sustainable change.
“This project beautifully brings together five key partners—the local community, the municipality, our in-country collaborators at ACCMARI, EWB@UWM, and generous supporters like CannedWater4Kids—in a united mission to deliver clean water that transforms lives. After the trip, the team will review outcomes and keep the lines of communication open through ongoing monitoring, with regular updates via email and WhatsApp to ACCMARI and the EWB-USA Guatemala team (our most recent check-in was just yesterday!),” said Dr. Marissa Jablonski, CW4K Board Member.
Fundraising Momentum and Our Continued Commitment
EWB@UWM has generated incredible momentum toward fully funding this project through heartfelt, community-led initiatives: a 5K run in April 2025, a special benefit concert in May 2025 honoring a cherished past supporter, and the upcoming Benefit for Clean Water silent auction in November. Paired with outreach to aligned partners like Rotary and CW4K, these efforts are putting success within reach.
At CannedWater4Kids, we’re truly excited and honored to provide funding that helps make this vision a reality. Clean water is far more than a basic need—it’s the foundation for healthier children, stronger families, thriving education, and vibrant communities that can grow and flourish. We’re committed to following the progress closely and sharing updates with you as this life-changing work unfolds.
Stay tuned for more on this powerful collaboration. Thank you for standing with us and supporting efforts to bring sustainable, safe drinking water to children and families around the world—because every child deserves the chance to thrive!
