This project will provide safe drinking water to 850 children in the municipality of San Gabriel (Tipnis, Bolivia). Teaching staff and school kids will be trained on the use and maintenance of water filters and other simple technologies to obtain safe drinking water. Adequate infrastructure will be provided and hygiene conditions will be improved. Parents and community leaders also will be informed and trained, thus impacting the community at large.
Waterborne diseases are among the top three killers of young children in developing countries. Lack of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene condtions are the causes of these diseases, which kill 1.8 million children every year. Schools in Bolivia often do not have access to safe drinking water, and sanitation and hygiene conditions often are inadequate. In the municipality of Anzaldo, several schools do not have tap water on the premises, depending on unsafe sources of drinking water.
We will train educators on key topics of water, hygiene and sanitation, focusing on simple solutions which can be implemented within a short time. We will install water filters in each class room so that children and educators can consume safe drinking water at all times. We also will train parents in order to facilitate behavior change at the household level. The project will directly improve health status of 850 children between two and ten years of age.
For the mental and physical development of children, it is crucial that schools are places where they not only learn theoretical concepts but also practice healthy habits. Treating drinking water is such a healthy habit, as well as washing hands with soap. Research has shown that schools with improved hygiene conditions show lower absentee rates, especially among girls.
