Safe Drinking Water for 80,000 Children in Bolivia

Dear supporters,

Last week, children in most schools in Bolivia went back to classes after winter break. Yes, this is winter time in the Southern part of the planet, and this winter has been rather cold. In fact, in the Bolivian Departments of Oruro and Potosí, start of classes had to be delayed by a week because of the cold – and due to the fact that most schools do not have heating. While in other parts of the world people worry about the quality of the teaching staff and indicators like the student-teacher ratio, in Bolivia the core challenges are related to rather basic issues like these ones:

-          Is there heating?

-          Is there water?

-          Are there toilets (or at least latrines)?

-          Are there tables and chairs?

-          Is there a teacher?

Only if these basic things are in place, teaching and learning can take place. This is why our project focuses on improving water and sanitation services at schools. In the first phase, we involved some 230 schools in the Departments of La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba. In 2011, we included additional 20 schools in the Department of Cochabamba, where we also are working with women’s groups in the same communities. Improving water and sanitation at schools not only reduces diarrhea and other diseases but also absenteeism, which is a very common problem in countries like Bolivia.

As we communicated previously, June 16 was a special fundraising opportunity. Our on-line campaign was very successful, generating donations for more than 2,000 US$ in a single day, which was complemented by additional 30% by the Global Giving Foundation. We would like to thank all of our donors who supported our project on that specific date. As promised, all the people making a contribution that day entered a lottery for a special prize: a large print of a picture from our project, taken by professional photographer Matteo Bertolini (see picture). Congratulations to the lucky winner on behalf of the project team.

Currently, we are preparing a next phase of the project for 40 schools in the Municipality of Tiquipaya and currently are negotiating with the Ministry of Education and some potential donors to strengthen the project further. The goal of the next project phase will be to pilot additional innovative interventions for improving water quality and sanitary conditions at schools, whereas we keep developing our educational methodology.

We are looking forward to start the next project phase soon and will keep you informed about further developments on our side. We also would like to express our gratitude for your continued support to the project – donations of any amount are welcome to keep the project going.

Best regards from the whole project team,

Matthias Saladin

P.S. Please mark October 19^th on your agenda – this will be this year’s last chance to have your donation complemented. Each donation you make that day (up to the amount of 1,000 US$) will be increased by 30%, making your contribution have even more impact and helping more children to obtain safe drinking water.

Links:

• News from the SODIS Foundation

Dear supporters,

A few weeks ago, Global Giving visited our project in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Clarissa Driban is a volunteer who took on the huge challenge to visit more than 40 projects all over South America within 6 months. This involved a good deal of traveling, many hours of sitting in buses riding a bumpy road or waiting at the bus station. We are glad she came all the way to Cochabamba and was able to visit a school of our project. She witnessed firsthand how small improvements in hygiene and water quality can make a big difference in these institutions. Here is what she wrote to us afterwards:

"Water. Who knew its absence could have such devasting effects; its presence, the ability to transform communities, health, and socio-economic status. The tireless efforts of SODIS are testament to the power and necesitity for investment in quality infrastructure to provide basic services, such as water, to communities in need. But it doesn't stop at connecting people with this crucial lifesource. From water springs the power to educate children and their parents about how to better care for themselves and the environment, the opportunity to improve one's quality of life, the chance to mobilize people by empowering them to create the changes they wish to see in their homes and their communities. Best of all, the solutions SODIS implements are low-cost, yet highly effective. 

Take for example their solar water disinfection program, now currently present in schools throughout Bolivia. Through this program kids are not only provided clean drinking water, but they learn the process behind purification, healthy life skills such as washing your hands and brushing your teeth, the importance of caring for their environment, and how potable water can make a world of difference in daily tasks like growing your own garden. Perhaps most impressive, is these new habits are then incorporated into the homes, changing the health and well-being of entire families and even communities. 

I was honored to see the payoffs of programs like this firsthand and to meet the countless people benefiting from implementation. I can attest to the effectiveness and widespread local impact. Ongoing support of SODIS projects is not only necessary, it's a fantasic return on a minimal investment."

Well, there is not much we can add to that. We thank Clarissa for her visit and her advice and wish her the very best on the rest of her journey and for future travels to come – and of course we hope to see her around again soon.  By the way, Clarissa is helping the projects she visited to raise funds: she established a fundraiser page and already raised more than $ 5000 in a month - which is very impressive. You can support her and the projects she visited (including the projects of the SODIS Foundation) on the link provided below.

Thank you for your continuing support

For the project team,

Links:

• Clarissa's Fundraising page