The Manuals Project works with NGOs and grassroots organizations to develop training manuals and other materials to facilitate their work. We look for groups that already have a track record of successful participation in community development and who want to share their experiences with others who may be attempting the same or similar work in other locations. All our manuals are published in English and Spanish in both print and electronic versions, and they are all available for free on the internet and distributed as widely as possible in other formats.

The materials created by the Manuals Project are intended to:

• Facilitate the existing work of the group or community organization
• Assist in training of community members or organizations
• Foster autonomy and reduce dependency
• Decentralize the means of acquiring and sharing knowledge
• Share valuable experiences with others involved in community development
• Spread understanding of appropriate technologies, traditional wisdom, and other specific techniques that have been proven beneficial in use
• Promote the organizations whose work is the basis for our manuals
• Serve as a fundraising tool for those organizations
• Encourage others to use their creativity to adapt, improve, or copy the content of our manuals
• Facilitate connections among groups and individuals so that they can directly share their experiences and knowledge

There are a great many organizations and individuals working in community development projects, and they have accumulated a wealth of valuable experience and concrete knowledge that should be shared for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, most of these groups are so busy with their daily work that they don't have any time left over to preserve their experiences as articles, manuals, pamphlets, teaching materials, etc. The goal of the Manuals Project is to help them to publish and distribute these types of materials so we can all learn from each other.

The process of creating these materials depends on the group involved and the type of publication. We coordinate with each organization to determine the goals and content together. Whenever possible, we participate in the group's work along with them and develop our materials in that context.

Current Projects:

In 2004 our primary focus will be a collaborative effort to create a gravity-fed water systems manual with the three existing potable water NGOs in Chiapas, Mexico. The Manuals Project co-coordinators both previously worked with one of these groups, and we have good relations with the other two as well. The idea for this manual comes from discussions we've had with them, as well as from our own experience in the field.

Each of these groups has identified training community members to form their own water committees and take over all aspects of this work as essential to its long-term sustainability. The creation of local potable water committees has also been declared to be one of the two highest priorities of the autonomous regional government (the other being education). Yet despite the general recognition of the necessity of comprehensive training for community water committees, only limited advancement has been made on this front because resources have been scarce and efforts have been spread thin.

The Manuals Project will participate in community trainings with the water groups and in the process we will develop a comprehensive manual that they can use in the future.

We will also be continuing our work with Dry Composting Toilets this year. We are returning to a community in Chiapas, Mexico in which we had begun a DCT project some years ago. At that time, the project was stymied by a lack of a functioning separating toilet seat mold. We have since obtained an excellent mold and training to use it, and the community is anxious to continue the work as soon as possible. Together we will finish construction of several public toilets in the community center and establish a permanant workshop there in which they can begin to build toilets for each family who wants one as well.

We will also be translating our Dry Composting Toilet manual into English over the next several months.

If you are interested in our work, you can contact us by email.