People's Consultants
(a.k.a. Agua del Pueblo – USA)
Make a Lasting Difference
Since our founding in 1972, we have focused on water and sanitation in Guatemala, and in 2022, we added human rights to our mission. We are the U.S. sister organization to the Guatemalan NGO Agua del Pueblo, which implements our work there.
Our 2026 Summit
We are thrilled to share that our 2026 Summit was an outstanding success, marking our most impactful gathering yet. The week was filled with powerful moments that reaffirmed our commitment to the communities we serve in Guatemala. Some highlights included witnessing a young boy’s joy as he received payment for his family’s coffee crop—a poignant reminder of how critical our work in water and infrastructure has become as the economic landscape shifts. To read more about the summit’s results and these memorable experiences, please visit our latest blog post.
We are the oldest non-governmental organization focused on
water and sanitation in the world!
How we help
Potable Water
As our name implies, we have dedicated much of our engineering expertise to developing water infrastructure. In our early days, most of our projects were spring-captured gravity systems, considered the 'low hanging fruit.' These projects are notable for their incredibly low cost of operation and maintenance. However, all our systems include a community "tax," meaning every beneficiary family pays a monthly fee for operation and maintenance.
Sanitation
We've focused on sanitation due to WHO data showing that sanitation is more cost-effective than water for health. However, our beneficiaries consider many other factors in addition to health that water provides. At a minimum, all beneficiaries install ventilated improved pit latrines. Recently, we have added hand washing stations. We are also experimenting with more comprehensive systems that incorporate laundry washing (pilas). These systems connect several homes to a grease trap, biodigester, and wetland treatment.
Community Development
Water and sanitation are means, not an end. We have developed and refined our methodology over the past 50 years. The core of this methodology is community control. In every AdP project, the community must lead all decisions, from our first visit to the operation and maintenance of the system. Researchers have found that community leadership fosters both community and economic development (Chipman, Strait, and Clemens, 2014; Sauer, Smith, and Clemens, 2012; Clemens and Douglas, 2012).
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