The vast majority of rural Bolivians live meagerly on a subsistence farming income from 1-2 acre land plots and earn an average of less than $1 a day. Inconsistent water fall during most of the year leads to widespread crop failure and makes it difficult to improve the standard of living.  Installing water reservoirs will improve these dire conditions.

MANO a MANO partners with Bolivian communities to provide the technical skill and heavy equipment necessary to create large-scale agricultural water reservoirs. These allow farmers to grow crops year-round, resulting in greater yields and improved income. The local community is extensively involved with the project, providing labor and creating a water cooperative to manage the project on a long-term basis. The Sancayani Water Reservoir will provide water for crops, livestock, and household use to 4,000 Bolivian farm families. Water is essential to improving their lives; as the community leaders tell us, “Water is life. Without water we cannot live.”

A lack of rain can lead to crop failure which destroys a community's nutritional resources and standard of living.