Fundamental Needs, a nonprofit started in 2020 by Montezuma-Cortez High School graduate Justice Ramos, continues to provide water, education and other resources to residents of the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas.
Ramos and his family decided to start the nonprofit after the COVID pandemic started and a Peace Corps job fell through for the graduate of University of Colorado Boulder.
They strive to help Navajos gain access to basic goods including water and firewood. They also have education and business initiatives.
“We were delivering supplies like firewood, food boxes, PPE, water and that kind of thing (during COVID-19),” said Ramos, who is executive director of the nonprofit. “The reservation was shut down on the weekends, so they couldn’t go get the necessary supplies they needed.”
His mother, Jennie Ramos – Fundamental Needs’ board chairman – grew up on the Navajo Nation, and wanted to give back to the community
“My mom grew up on the reservation,” Ramos said. “She spent all the way up to her senior year of high school. My grandparents were teachers for 20-plus years, so that’s the connection there.”
Fundamental Needs provides communities with “resources necessary to become their own solution.” Ramos said they approach communities “with questions and not solutions,” to understand what the community needs and then find a way to help.
In 2021, the nonprofit started to build gray water systems and provide solar-powered water filters, heaters and solar.
The nonprofit has two active projects. The Navajo Oasis Project helps build and install off-grid water systems, solar and deliver firewood and more to Rock Point, Sweet Water and Red Mesa, Arizona, as well as to Shiprock and Farmington. Their Startup Project, which kicked off in 2022, teaches high school juniors and seniors how to build the water systems.
The Oasis Project operates in an environment where a third of the population on the Navajo Nation lacks safe drinking water or sanitation and 15,000 lack electricity. Residents of the 27,413-square-mile reservation have just 13 grocery stores.
Individuals can donate to the nonprofit in general or to specific projects by visiting www.fundamentalneeds.net. Donors also can provide an off-grid water system, water delivery, gray water garden or firewood delivery.
The Startup Project trains and hires students to install the systems in their own communities, and how to start a business.
The students are also trained to install the solar needed to power the water systems in areas where there is no electricity.
The nonprofit uses 400-500 watt solar panels that are mounted on a ballasted ground mount system and a 2,000-watt--hour portable battery, according to Ramos.
“We use the ground mount to simplify the installation process and make it easier for the homeowners to maintain. Similarly, we use the portable battery to reduce any learning curve needed for the homeowners,” Ramos said.
The power from the solar and portable battery can power the water system and other necessities the homeowners may need, such as lights and a refrigerator.
They also started a pilot program at Southwest Open School in Cortez this year, teaching students how to start their own business.
Over the course of the 14-week curriculum and yearlong group project, students develop business skills such as writing and speaking and how to act professionally in business settings. The curriculum is inspired in part by entrepreneurship programs at CU and Fort Lewis College.
After consulting with SWOS Director Casey Simpson, Fundamental Needs helped create the school’s entrepreneurial class and provided a teacher, Michelle Harrison.
Some SWOS students have started businesses with what they have learned from the class, and the school has purchased a makers space for student businesses.
Now, Ramos is applying to grants and securing funding to create a maker space for Fundamental Needs that will complement their education program.
“It’s going to have CNC machines, 3D printers, laser cutters, we’re probably going to include some pottery making equipment and some woodworking stuff,” Ramos said. “We’re trying to bridge the gap for some of the entrepreneurs in the area and for our students so that they have access to the machinery that they need.”
They also hope to expand their entrepreneurial program to other schools and create an after-school program for students.
“It’s been really cool being able to give back to the community I grew up in,” Ramos said.
To learn more about Fundamental Needs, sign up for the mailing list, contact the nonprofit or donate, interested individuals can access their website online at www.fundamentalneeds.net.
