When 1 inch of rain falls on a 1000 square foot surface, you can collect 600 gallons of water.

Rain Catchment is a viable solution for any area facing water shortage. Rain Catchment Systems require no electricity and are fairly simple to trouble shoot. They can be installed in the most rural areas and can be made from the most primitive materials. A Rain Catchment System can be as simple as a small swale to stop water flooding off a slope or as integrated as a system that catches rain to supply a structure with water for drinking, sanitation or agriculture. One thing is certain, Saving the Rain can put an end to the water crisis.

A Rain Catchment System consists of the following sub-systems:

• catchment area (roof, road, hillside)

• conveyance system (guttering, downspouts, piping)

• pre-filtration

• storage (cistern)

• distribution (gravity flow)

Two simple steps - it's as easy as that.

Phase 1 Community Wide Project

Phase 1 begins by selecting an impoverished African community and using the village primary school as our access point. When we enter the community, we come empty handed, armed only with our desire to serve and our knowledge of harvesting the rain. We begin by interviewing all the parents of students. We assess the available water resources and the health of the children at the school. The village then elects the best masons and laborers to become the core construction crew for a large scale rain catchment system. This provides the entire community with access to clean water. We help the village democratically elect a water committee for governance, maintenance and sustainability of the project.

Phase 2 Women’s Water Initiative

Phase 2 involves an initiative that empowers women to build 5000 liter Rain Catchment Systems. This size system can sustain a family of 8 with their domestic water needs for a year. Each woman enrolled in the program receives the materials and education to construct the system. Once the system is complete, the women are responsible to repay the cost of the material and recruit 5 additional women into the program. As each participant begins to repay their loan, additional loans are funded. The community votes on the repayment terms as it is determined by their capabilities. Each of these systems cost about $250 USD in materials. The starting capital is never returned to the investor, but rather "paid forward" to the next woman and is cycled through the community. The local water committee manages the repayment process and Save the Rain audits it monthly. All the procurement and distribution of materials are managed by Save the Rain.