In a small community in southern Mexico, every day begins with a challenge for Maribel and her children. They must fetch water for the family to drink, cook and clean with. It can take hours to collect, and there never seems to be enough. “From the moment the sun rises until it sets, we rely on water constantly,” said Maribel.

Maribel gets water from an open cistern or collection pit made of concrete. The water runs off the hill and fills it. It is often quite dirty. And collecting water involves making many trips per day, carrying full buckets that weigh up to 40 pounds each. “I carry water to fill my container outside my house. It holds about 50 gallons.”

When the rainy season hits, the water that fills the cistern turns murky, or even brown with mud and debris. “We wait at least a

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