From early hours in the morning residents from Santa Rosa, a small town in the municipality of Sensuntepeque, Cabañas, met together with teachers and students from the local school, to begin the process of restoring the community’s stream.

The restoration process consisted of planting more than 6,200 forrest and fruit trees along the shores of the El Calichal, Quebradona, and Ojustón streams. The activity was organized by ADES with support from the Fondo de la Iniciativa para las Américas (FIAES).

The activity is part of the project “Reducing socio-environmental vulnerability through the implementation of soil and water conservation projects, reforestation, agroforestry, and governance” executed by ADES, together with the Fondo de la Iniciativa para las Américas (FIAES).

Alirio Hernández, coordinator of the project, said that when the trees are grown, they will prevent sun rays from directly touching the water, eliminating evaporation, maintaining a cool environment, and reducing soil erosion so that the streams will no longer fill with soil.

Santa Rosa is close to the Lempa river, surrounded by an artificial lake created by the work on the Hydroelectric Dam “05 de Noviembre,” that has operated in the area since 1957. However, despite their constant contact to water, the community faces hardships when it comes to obtaining drinking water. The sources they do have are contaminated and do not supply drinking water.

Together with support from the Sensuntepeque Military Detachment, the Government of Cabañas, and the accompaniment from ADES and FIAES, Santa Rosa has taken the first step as a community toward recuperation of the critical ecosystems.