Safe Water for Indigenous Schools & Villages

Chief on a  remote indigenous island says, " Our children are in school studying, not at home sick."
You made an old man happy!  Thank you."

Principal Velkis Quiroz of Cristobal Island says: "up to 70% of our kids were out sick
from time to time.  Now, it's less than 10%"

Principal Candice of Solate island says: " Our drop - out rate was high. Kids were out sick,
fell behind and dropped out. i expect all our kids to graduate this year." 

We're now about half-way through the  school year down here in the indigenous
areas of Paname, and the results are coming in.

We've been busy. Five tanks at five schools in five days is a torrid pace,.
but we're in a race against time, with children's health at stake.

Too many schools still rely on water from polluted streams &
contaminated "wells," which are just holes at the base of hills.
When it rains, pollutants flow into the wells.

Twenty-one schools are on our "must do soon " list. Over, 3,000
children in those schools need safe water. 

We're an all-volunteer charity. No one receives a salary or compensation.

Thank you for helping indigenous children & schools.

- Joe.. 

Links:

• check out our website
• See Interactive map -- where we work

Celebrating our ONE HUNDRETH rain catchment system
for indigenous schools without safe water.

schools report their abenteeism rates from sickness drop from
as high as 70% to less than 10%

School principals in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama often report that up to 70% of their students are chronically sick from bad water.  Diarrhea, dysentery and skin diseases cause many indigenous students to miss classes, fall behind and get discouraged. Many then drop out, perpetuating the "cycle of poverty"
among indigenous people from one generation to another. 

OSDW installs rain catchment systems that provide safe, disease-free water from the abundant tropical rains.
The water is used for drinking and cooking school lunches.

Principals report their absenteeism rate dramatically drops to less than 10%
within 3 months of having clean, safe water.

Our rain catchment systems are simple, low-maintenance and last for years,
with only one moving part -- the faucet.  Each system provides safe water for an average
of 120 students and 250 villagers living nearby.  

Our more than one hundred rain catchment systems now bring safe, disease-free water
to 35,000 indigenous students and villagers.

$25 will provide safe water to fifty indigenous students
$50 will provide disease-free drinking water to 125 students.
$100 will provide safe drinking water for 300 students.
$975 will provide a rain-catchment system for an entire school.

(We put your name or that of a loved one on the tank and send
you photos, name of school and a "thank you" scroll signed by
the principal, teachers and all the students.) 

OSDW is an all-volunteer 501 c 3 charity.
No one receives a salary or compensation.

Support Operation Safe Drinking Water
Make a difference in people’s lives you can see with your own eyes.

Links:

• See our website
• See map of where our 100 rain catchment systems are
• Follow our latest news on Facebook