Green Empowerment

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Green Empowerment Village solutions for global change.

Green Empowerment works with local partners around the world to strengthen communities by delivering renewable energy and safe clean water. We collaborate with Indigenous peoples, rural communities, local organizations - and you - to improve health outcomes, build climate change resilience, advance gender equity and help lift families out of poverty.

10/16/2026

Some of the most valuable lessons come from connecting across cultures and continents.

During our WASH Knowledge Exchange in Ecuador, Adrian Banie Lasimbang, co-founder of TONIBUNG - TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG, met with community water committees and saw striking parallels with the community energy committees TONIBUNG works with in Southeast Asia.

Watch Banie's interview below to hear more about his experience! 👇

| PACOS Trust, AID Foundation, Inc., Fundación ALTROPICO, ENGIM Ecuador, SIBAT Inc

Las manos limpias empiezan con las herramientas adecuadas cerca de casa. 🧼💧En este Día Mundial del Lavado de Manos, dest...
10/15/2026

Las manos limpias empiezan con las herramientas adecuadas cerca de casa. 🧼💧

En este Día Mundial del Lavado de Manos, destacamos el trabajo de las familias de Corozal Arriba y Bocas de Corozal, Nicaragua, que este año construyeron 90 letrinas de arrastre hidráulico, cada una con un lavamanos justo al lado, conectado a la red de agua de la vivienda.

El proyecto se organizó a través del Comité de Agua Potable y Saneamiento (CAPS) de la comunidad, que trabajó con los hogares para definir quiénes participarían y reunió la contrapartida comunitaria. Las familias hicieron el trabajo más pesado: excavaron las fosas, trasladaron materiales y recolectaron piedra para los filtros, junto a nuestra organización aliada AVODEC y personal técnico local.

Este proyecto se suma al mini acueducto por gravedad que la comunidad completó con AVODEC y Green Empowerment en 2024–2025. Con el agua y el saneamiento funcionando juntos, unas 285 personas cuentan con una guía paso a paso sobre el cuidado de las letrinas y el lavado de manos, colocada justo donde la necesitan.

Gracias a AVODEC y al CAPS de Corozal, con el apoyo de Christadelphian Meal a Day of Americas (CMAD) y PeaceWorks.

10/14/2026

“When you design for women, it raises all boats.”
Shared by Anita Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer at Micromentor, during our 2025 screening of Force of Water, this powerful insight was shared in response to the question: What’s possible when women are genuinely centered in climate, water, or energy work? The answer is clear, when women are centered, entire communities thrive.

Wednesdays are dedicated to stories, spotlighting the leaders in our community who are centering women's voices to build a more equitable, climate-resilient future.

Follow Green Empowerment for more voices of women leading climate solutions in their own communities.

“All of us built this system: digging trenches, laying pipes, painting, whatever it took. Because we knew our end goal w...
10/09/2026

“All of us built this system: digging trenches, laying pipes, painting, whatever it took. Because we knew our end goal was to have water, and we were willing to put in the work.”
– Eduardo Mamallacta, President of Alipamba

🚰👉 Day 4 of our WASH Knowledge Exchange began with a warm welcome from Lorena Cajas Rodas, Mayor of Shushufindi, who shared the local government’s recent investments in water and sanitation and its partnership with UNICEF on these initiatives.

We then visited the Amazonian community of Alipamba, home to 334 people. Residents remember when water was available only two hours a day, with everyone competing for it at once. After years of interruptions, their system has now run reliably for two years, and every home has a toilet, sink and shower. About 93% of users pay their tariff on time, and the water committee uses a WhatsApp group to address issues quickly. Community members shared that clean water has made a real difference for the 130 students at the local school.

We ended the day at the community launch for a new water system in Miss Ecuador, where residents committed together to building their system. Supported by Green Empowerment and ENGIM Ecuador with funding from UNICEF, the system will start with 120 users, with a goal of reaching 150.

Thank you to Mayor Cajas Rodas, Eduardo and the Alipamba community, and the community of Miss Ecuador for welcoming us! 🙌

| PACOS Trust, TONIBUNG - TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG, SIBAT Inc, AID Foundation, Inc. Fundación ALTROPICO, ENGIM Ecuador

Building upon Green Empowerment’s active programs in 10 countries, our new Global Partnership with blueEnergy expands ou...
10/08/2026

Building upon Green Empowerment’s active programs in 10 countries, our new Global Partnership with blueEnergy expands our collective reach to 12 countries and 27 partners working to advance locally led clean water and renewable energy solutions.

But this partnership is about more than expanding our reach. It formalizes a belief our organizations have shared for decades: collective impact goes further than any single organization working alone.

We’re excited to build what comes next, together.

Huge thank you to for accompanying us through every step, from exploring a collaboration to finding the right legal framework.

Learn more about the partnership and what it means for our work through our FAQ link: https://greenempowerment.org/gp/

10/08/2026

¡Gracias a la alcaldesa Lorena Cajas Rodas y al Municipio de Shushufindi por recibir a nuestros socios e integrantes del equipo de Green Empowerment para compartir experiencias e intercambiar conocimientos sobre agua y saneamiento! 💧

"There are often conflicts between countries, but water brings us together." – Siete de Julio Water Board Committee Memb...
10/08/2026

"There are often conflicts between countries, but water brings us together."
– Siete de Julio Water Board Committee Member

Day 3 of our WASH Knowledge Exchange took us to Siete de Julio in Shushufindi in Canton, Ecuador:

What began in 1996 as a system for 80 families has grown into a unified network of 5 connected systems serving 1,500 users with 24-hour, high-quality water. After the original system failed, the community revitalized and expanded it in 2005, and the same committee has led it ever since, so well that communities ask them to stay on.

"We've become a point of reference for other communities within the county and across the Amazon that want to build high quality water systems." – Alfonso, President of the Siete de Julio Water Committee

It's easy to see why. The committee's bylaws require gender equity, with equal numbers of women and men in leadership. Schools and clinics pay residential rather than commercial rates because of the essential services they provide. And when residents face illness, disability or other hardships that make paying impossible, the committee exempts them, a practice rooted in compassion and unity.

Thank you to Alfonso and the Siete de Julio Water Committee for an unforgettable visit. 🙏

| PACOS Trust, TONIBUNG - TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG, SIBAT Inc, AID Foundation, Inc. Fundación ALTROPICO, ENGIM Ecuador

10/07/2026

“I would tell other women to go for it, that knowledge is gained day by day.”
Shared by Daniela de La Cruz, WASH Community Lead in Chachagüí, Nariño, Colombia, during our GESI Webinar, this powerful advice was offered in response to the question: What would you say to other women who don't yet participate in these spaces? Her story shows that when women step forward, they inspire entire communities to follow.

Every Wednesday, we highlight women who are driving sustainable climate solutions in their communities, proving that active leadership and learning go hand in hand.

Read more about our work with Women in Water and Sanitation: 👉https://greenempowerment.org/women-in-water-sanitation/

Fundación Suyusama |

Day 2 of our WASH Knowledge Exchange took us to Palma Real, Ecuador!Since collaborating with Fundación ALTROPICO and Gre...
10/07/2026

Day 2 of our WASH Knowledge Exchange took us to Palma Real, Ecuador!

Since collaborating with Fundación ALTROPICO and Green Empowerment, Palma Real has run its own piped water system since 2018, serving 52 households. Committee president Santiago shared what it has meant for the community:

🚰👉 "Clean, safe water was something we wanted for a long time. Stunting and malnutrition were big problems. Since building the water system in 2018, we've seen that communal health has greatly improved."

Community members walked us through how they manage the system together. Users hold general assemblies twice a year and share responsibility through communal work days. Everyone contributes in the way they can, whether labor, cash, or in-kind contributions like chickens from elders who can't join work days. The committee plans ahead for major repairs with a dedicated budget, separate from routine upkeep.

Stay tuned for more!

| PACOS Trust, TONIBUNG - TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG, SIBAT Inc, AID Foundation, Inc. Fundación ALTROPICO, ENGIM Ecuador

"We always ensure social buy-in when we do this work. I think that's the most important element." – Gustavo Huera Cuases...
10/06/2026

"We always ensure social buy-in when we do this work. I think that's the most important element." – Gustavo Huera Cuases, Water & Sanitation Lead, Fundación ALTROPICO

Our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Knowledge Exchange in Ecuador is underway! 💧🤝

This exchange brings together Green Empowerment team members and partners from Asia (PACOS Trust, TONIBUNG - TObpinai NIngkokoton koBUruon kampuNG, SIBAT Inc, AID Foundation, Inc.) and Latin America (Fundación ALTROPICO, ENGIM Ecuador) to learn from each other's experience.

First stop: Tres Vías, Esmeraldas, where we met with Gustavo and water committee leaders Joaquín and Clemente from the communities of Canalón and Monomanso. Fundación ALTROPICO and Green Empowerment have worked alongside communities to build 7 water systems in the region since 2016. The work began as a disaster response after the earthquake, and nearly a decade later, almost all of those systems are still fully operational across two watersheds.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week!

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