About Us
Effective sustainable development combines local leadership, continuous external support, and science-based decisions.
TERRA Resource Development International (TERRA) is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to improving water access and quality and improving agricultural productivity in order to: (1) increase health and income and (2) improve a community's preparedness and resiliency to recurring droughts.
TERRA focuses its
efforts in Bolivian communities that receive little attention from
national and international aid programs. In Bolivia, the majority of
aid organizations avoid smaller, isolated communities because they
present
access challenges and because their small population is a disincentive.
Yet, precisely because of the isolation, small size and neglect, the
people suffer from a lack of clean drinking water and a deficiency in
skills that would improve their agriculture. In addition, many people
in rural communities earn less than two U.S. dollars a day, causing
unacceptably low standards of living that make the communities more
susceptible to droughts.
TERRA
provides up to 70% of the needed costs for groundwater drinking and irrigation systems. To ensure
sustainable projects, Terra organizes local water committees that collect
user-fees. The fees pay for monthly visits by a support service, administered and
trained by Terra, which conducts educational workshops and maintenance. In this
manner, Terra creates a business relationship between villages and the support
service, giving communities continual access to expertise and education.
TERRA collaborates with communities to improve:
1. Water Resource Development2. Natural Resource Management
3. Community Based Disaster Prevention
