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Our Projects
Water stewardship begins at home. The Pure Silver Initiative works with local partners to design and implement solutions in mining communities.
Clean water is a universal necessity. The Pure Silver Initiative brings the disinfecting power of silver to vulnerable communities, wherever they may be.
MINING Communities
The Pure Silver Initiative uses participatory methods that blend art and science to create "communities of practice" which collectively identify challenges and opportunities and implement water-wise solutions in local communities.
Fresnillo plc
Community interventions at mine sites of our spearheading corporate partner
rainwater harvesting
La CiÉnega, durango
Combining photo, art and theatre to raise awareness about water, health and sanitation, with the support of leading NGOs and mining engineers, rainwater harvesting systems were established in the local schools of La Ciénega, Durango.
Photo voice Project
San JuliÁn, chihuahua

Working in partnership - between mining staff and community leaders/school teachers in 5 communities in the Tarahumara region of Chihuahua - the photo workshop enabled participants to look at the world (and water challenges) through the lens of another.

GALLERY
Highlights from our “Photo Voice” workshops, a community-company exercise designed to generate constructive dialogue to jointly identify water challenges and propose practical solutions.
Bianca M.
Fabian M.
Dania S.
Andres M.
Luis Enrique G.
Juan Carlos A.
"Behind every photograph taken there is a great story to be told." – School teacher in Pie de la Cuesta, Chihuahua
Francisco A.
Elizabeth R.
Maribel T.
Juan Carlos A.
Jose Luis R.
Juan Carlos A.
"This programme opened our panorama…to maintain a communion between the company and the community … giving us many opportunities as a company to support local people." – Mining engineer, San Julian, Chihuahua
Mary Cruz C.
Marina C.
Tranquillino S.
Maria S.
Jesús J.
Carlos R.
Maribel T.
Tania P.
Miguel Angel A.
“The workshops help us understand where water comes from, how some communities struggle over it, to wash, drink and live. I want us all to take care of our water so we can share it with others.” – Tarahumara community leader, Chihuahua
Gregorio Rubio O.
Dania S.
Miguel Angel A.
Jose Luis L.
HUMANITARIAN interventions
Working with academic and civil society partners, the Pure Silver Initiative educates people on the health benefits of silver and distributes point-of-use disinfection systems to schools and health clinics in water-challenged communties.
pUre silver initiative, hidalgo
Clean water initiative sponsored by Fresnillo plc. in four rural communities in Hidalgo, Mexico.
SILVER-Based Water disinfection
fontezuelas, Hidalgo
The last mile: introducing silver-based disinfection systems gives villagers the confidence to drink the water newly provided by a recent rainwater-harvesting project.
citizen scientistS programme
pachUcA, hidalgo
The Pure Silver Initiative outreach programme teaches residents about the health benefits of silver, exposing many for the first time to an institution of higher learning.
GALLERY
Photo documentary of the scientific training, workshops and community activities undertaken in support of the Pure Silver Initiative's Hidalgo project.
“I did not know that silver could help us to disinfect water. Today, I take this lesson with me – a lesson for the rest of my life” – School director, Fontezuelas, Hidalgo
“Before, we used to fill it every 8 days, now every other day. (The children) now prefer water, because we have a filter… I can see they prefer water more than soft drinks” – Community parent, Hidalgo
“I want to share what I’ve learnt in the workshops with all my classmates, so they can know what I know about how silver works” – High school student, Fontezuelas, Hidalgo

IMPACTS

The pilot programmes of the Pure Silver Initiative have inspired and brought measurable health benefits to participants and demonstrate the Initiative's potential to empower and transform communities.

CLEAN WATER PILOT PROGRAMME

  • 3500 people provided access to clean water
  • 60 point-of-use water-disinfection systems donated / 125 systems voluntarily acquired for domestic use
  • 100% of schools and healthcare centres outfitted
  • 10% of population (influencers) trained and educated to ensure community integration of new technologies
  • 98% of participants reported to independent evaluator that the programme was successful

PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS

Mexico has one of the world’s highest indices of death related to obesity and diabetes. An important strategy for tackling this urgent public health challenge is to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks and increase access to clean, drinking water. In an independent evaluation of the impact of the Pure Silver community intervention, 95% of teachers interviewed claimed that the introduction of the new water systems has significantly reduced the consumption of soft drinks in schools.

EMPOWERMENT

While the most immediate benefit to communities is access to clean drinking water, the Initiative’s greatest impact may be the transformative effect it has on participants.  In each community where it is implemented, people have taken inspiration from the programme, making it their own.  The Pure Silver Initiative has been a catalyst, inspiring participants to go beyond the programme objectives to pursue broader positive change in their communities.

Examples:
  • Mining engineers install additional rainwater systems on their own initiative
  • Local teachers adopt and implement "Photo Voice" workshops
  • Students replicate "Citizen Scientists" programme with their fellow classmates

COMMUNITIES

  • La Ciénega, Durango
  • La Lagunita, Durango
  • San Julián, Chihuahua
  • Pie de la Cuesta, Chihuahua
  • Casas Blancas, Chihuahua
  • Rio California, Chihuahua
  • Fontezuelas, Hidalgo
  • Agua Hedionda, Hidalgo
  • Ponthado, Hidalgo
  • Xitzo, Hidalgo