The school Hervalina Diniz, a highly underserved and under-resourced school in the periphery of Rio, dreams to build a rain water catchment system to lower the unfair high costs they pay for water. The director, Roberta, is determined to transition the school to be more sustainable, despite the lack of support from the school district and local government. The water system would allow the students to maintain a garden, eat healthier, and use the money now spent on water for better education.
The local municipal school of Santo Antonio is a highly underserved and under-resourced school located in the periphery of Rio de Janeiro. Despite the abundant water sources of the nearby Atlantic Rainforest, the school still must pay high prices to purchase water for the student use and for the new garden - money that could be spent on better education for the struggling students. The school receives very little support from the government and strikes lead to many cancelled classes.
By building a water catchment system, the school would save an enormous amount of money they spend on water. This would allow the school to commit to maintaining the garden, which they cannot do if they must pay ghastly prices for the water - and the garden will provides fresh, nutritious food and empower the students to reconnect with their lost agricultural roots. The committed director, Roberta, proposed the idea for the water system, saying how transformational it would be for the students.
To deal with the new pressures of climate change that are facing peri-urban areas like Santo Antonio (landslides, water scarcity, deforestation), the town is desperately in need of more sustainable infrastructure and practices. By working with the school, SINAL hopes to empower the new generation to learn and participate in these more ecological structures such as water catchment that can then be replicated throughout the neighborhood and in surrounding towns.
