Safe Drinking Water for 40 schools in Bolivia

Dear supporter,

Last year have been training teachers and some older students in the production of an ecological soap, helping decrease disease by washing hands in key moments.

“Washing hands with soap and water has been and remains one of the most effective cost interventions against disease transmission in public health. The promotion of proper hand washing with soap and water, can save many lives.

Each year, about 3.5 million children, die without celebrate its fifth birthday from preventable diseases, mainly diarrhea and acute respiratory diseases. Adopting the habit of washing hands with soap and water before eating and after using the toilet, can avoid almost half the number of deaths due to diarrhea, and nearly a quarter of deaths from acute respiratory diseases.”

With the help of two volunteers from USA (Aaron and Hannah), we were able to build a “bicimáquina” a bike-machine. 

This machine is manufactured with recycled materials (old bycicle, iron pipes ...) and assembled by a local artisan. Thanks to this machine, it is possible to increase the quantity and quality of soap, and have more financial input.

This soap is called "el Grillito" - the cricket - and is manufactured 100% ecologically.

Its slogan: "Purchasing this soap it can save many children from infection or estomacles disease"

Some older students have created a micro enterprise within the school, thanks to the support and suppervision of the SODIS Foundation, now they are able to sell soap to students and parents.

The next step would be to sell the soap to the municipality of Tiquipaya who would be responsible in providing the other schools in the comunity!

We are very enthusiastic and positive about this project carried out by these older students with great success 

We thank you in advance for your support. And feel free to reach us if you have some questions and comments !

With warm greetings from the whole project team,

Jeremy Maes