December Project Status Update: Strengthened Locap Leadership and Setting the Stage for 2026
As we close out 2025, Vera Aqua Vera Vita is grateful to share year-end progress from our two active clean water projects in the Piura region of Peru: Las Mercedes KM11 and La Merced. December was marked by important governance growth inside the communities themselves, continued operational progress, and steady behind-the-scenes work with government agencies to secure the final approvals needed to move into full construction and implementation. While both projects experienced delays, Las Mercedes KM11 due to the Regional Government’s funding agreement signature timeline and La Merced due to the community’s timing in signing the easement request, we ended the year with a stronger organization, clearer alignment, and defined next steps that position us for meaningful breakthroughs in the new year!
Las Mercedes KM11 (1,200 people): Stronger Governance, Continued Water Delivery, and a Clear Path to Construction
In Las Mercedes KM11, December continued to demonstrate what consistent access to water makes possible. Throughout the month, more families continued moving back into the community, supported by the reliability of the Water Tanker Truck supply that has been serving residents consistently. At the same time, the community and VAVV continued the steady work that turns water delivery into long-term sustainability: the Water Committee held weekly meetings with the VAVV team throughout all of December, focusing on improvements in maintenance and operations procedures, system management, and stronger revenue and expense controls to optimize how the system is run.
This month also brought an important community milestone in governance and accountability. On December 28, 2025, the community held a general meeting where leaders presented the current funding balance for daily operations, and the community formally elected a new JASS (government agency) water committee with five new board members. This is a meaningful step forward in local leadership and stewardship—ensuring that as construction begins and the system expands, the community has clear representation and structured responsibility for long-term management.
December 28, 2025: the community held a meeting where they formally elected five new board members to create the new JASS water committee.
On December 29, 2025, VAVV sent guidance on how to register this newly elected committee with the local government, specifically within the Municipality of Piura – District of Piura, so the committee can operate with full legal recognition, setup a business bank account, and continue strengthening formal governance structures.
At the same time, the primary barrier preventing construction from starting remains a matter of the government's timeline. The project’s overall status is currently listed as delayed, due to a holdup within the Regional Government in signing the Funding Agreement. The Funding Agreement docket has continued moving through the internal review and approval process, but has taken longer than anticipated and has been in the legal office since December 12, 2025. While that delay is significant, it also clarifies where the final pressure point is—and gives us a precise target for early January action and follow-up.
Looking ahead, the first month of 2026 has defined deliverables that move this project toward construction readiness. In the first week of January, the community is expected to complete the registration of the new JASS committee within the local district municipality. The project goal is also to secure the signed Funding Plan Resolution for construction costs in the first week or two of January, and the critical action item target for the Regional Government and VAVV is January 15, 2026, for the approved and signed Funding Plan Resolution covering total structures and labor costs (GRP) plus machinery purchase costs (VAVV). In the second week of January, the community plans to purchase a GPS and alarm system for the water truck for added security. Then, by the fourth week of January, the project is scheduled to contract a builder and hold the kickoff meeting to prepare for the construction of the ground storage tank and kiosk, moving Las Mercedes KM11 from water delivery into permanent infrastructure.
La Merced (200 people): Community Alignment Strengthens and Engineering Planning Begins
In La Merced, December centered on relationship-building and rebuilding clarity around the land rights process work that is essential to ensuring the long-term success and legitimacy of the system we aim to build. The project’s overall status is currently listed as delayed due to a hold-up in the community signing the easement request; however, December showed steady improvement in community alignment and willingness to move forward collaboratively.
Throughout all of December, VAVV continued strengthening the land rights technical record by adding attachments and improving the content, preparing it to be presented again with greater clarity and completeness. During the first and second weeks of December, VAVV held two meetings with the community to explain the process transparently and to seek their support and authorization to receive assistance in the land rights process. Those meetings helped create forward momentum, culminating on December 14, 2025, when the community formally agreed to receive support from VAVV to complete and reinitiate the land rights process. That agreement represents a meaningful turning point, because successful infrastructure requires not only approvals but trust, understanding, and shared ownership between the community and project partners.
December also marked a concrete step forward in engineering planning. On December 1, 2025, VAVV held a meeting with the Engineering Team for the formal planning and design of the groundwater well and associated distribution system. This helps ensure that once the land rights process is finalized, the project can move quickly into the technical phases needed to determine the optimal well site and design the most sustainable distribution approach for the community.
Looking into January 2026, the plan for La Merced includes specific steps that move the project from alignment into action. In the second week of January, the community is expected to sign the easement request for the GRP. In the third week of January, VAVV plans to hire a hydrogeologist consultant to conduct a geo-electrical study that will objectively determine the best location within the easement to drill the well. The easement request is anticipated to reach approval in the fourth week of January, and throughout all of January, the VAVV team will continue supporting the community in obtaining the necessary easement and property rights to move the project forward lawfully and sustainably.
A Brief Look Back: The Biggest 2025 Milestones
As we reflect on 2025, we are grateful for the tangible progress achieved across both communities. This year, Las Mercedes KM11 moved from urgent need to consistent water delivery through the Water Tanker Truck system, creating immediate relief for families and supporting visible community growth as people began returning home. The community also continued strengthening governance and operational systems, culminating in the election of new JASS leadership on December 28, which is a critical step for long-term self-management. In La Merced, 2025 marked the early build of a new partnership community and the difficult but necessary foundation work of land rights documentation, community alignment, and initial engineering planning that positions the project to move more decisively in 2026.
Looking Ahead: Expanding PSUs to Four Active Projects in January 2026
As we step into 2026, we’re entering a new season of growth. In addition to continued progress in Las Mercedes KM11 and La Merced, Vera Aqua Vera Vita will be launching two new clean water projects, and beginning next month, January 2026, we will start publishing Project Status Updates across all four active project communities. We’re excited to share more consistent visibility into what’s happening on the ground, what barriers remain, and what milestones we’re reaching—so our supporters can walk with us closely and confidently as this mission expands.
Thank you for being part of this work. Your support makes it possible for us to stay in the fight through delays, to strengthen community leadership, and to keep moving forward until clean water is not a temporary solution—but a permanent reality. Together, we can give True Water, True Life.
