Guanacaste Water Center 1

WE ARE:

Working Together for a More Sustainable Future

Our Mission:

“A center for innovation, collaboration, restoration and education related to
responsible land use and water stewardship.”

The Nandamojo Association is the nonprofit organization that runs the GWC. We foster a
culture of responsible water stewardship in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province. We
believe it is important to reach every family, whether they own a large farm or tiny urban lot, because our true goal is to create a strong culture of water protection.

We believe that the most urgent threat to Guanacaste’s communities and ecosystems is
the impact of climate change on the availability of water resources. Each year
El niño and La niña phenomena are affecting directly the communities: irregular
rainy seasons, dried and hotter seasons, frequency of wildfires, and short but
intense rainy periods with floods.

We believe that the most effective solution to
ensure a stable water supply for future generations is to increase the amount
of water that annually replenishes groundwater aquifers by renewing a
landscape’s ability to absorb it. In doing so, we help communities prepare for
both extremes, drought and flood, that are projected to become more frequent
with the progress of climate change.

How do we achieve our goal?

We provide water stewardship education for stakeholders of all ages.

We empower and inspire families to adopt sustainable, practical strategies that return more water to the ground, whether it’s a few drops from the sink or a torrential rain.
We foster sustainable, locally-based economic enterprises that benefit
watershed health.

Our Strategy

Sustainable Land Use

We help Nandamojo families improve their land, renewing its fertility and capacity to absorb rainwater.

Watershed Education

We are fostering the next generation of responsible watershed stewards through hands-on learning experiences, newsletters and outreach events.

Bees For Trees Microfinancing

We help families increase their income through beekeeping. In exchange, they reforest 10% of their farm. All profits fund restoration projects.

Capturing Rain Water

Our region faces a water crisis; we promote strategies that ensure
aquifers are replenished.

Creating Strong Counterparts

We have created networks with people from the community, local
organizations and institutions to be able to achieve our goals together

We Fight Forest Fires

We have helped the local brigade. Now that they walk independently, we work to empower more brigades and create strong networks for the prevention of forest fires.

Restoring our Watershed Leadership

Executive Director
Marcia graduated from Costa Rica’s TEC University with a degree in forestry
science. She has extensive experience working to promote sustainable land use
practices among cattle ranchers through out the country as we as expertise in
nursery management and botany. Marcia lives in the Nandamojo Watershed with her
partner, where they manage the Guanacaste Water Center located in Paraiso.
Association Director
Matt graduated from DePauw University in 2007, and joined Peace Corps in 2008. As a rural community development volunteer in La Florida, a small village in the Nandamojo watershed, he worked to develop a community bank and computer lab. He completed his service in 2010 and moved back to Costa Rica with his wife, Ann Marie, in 2011, to begin directing ROW.
Technical Advisor
Tom Peifer holds a master’s degree in international agricultural development
from the University of California, Davis. He has lived and worked in Costa Rica for close to 30 years. He is the founder and director of El Centro Verde, a learning center where land restoration strategies are tested and
demonstrated. His work provides the basis for strategies that ROW promotes among Nandamojo landowners.