School Health and Hygiene for Mayan Children

Since the last time we checked in, our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project celebrated a very important day: Global Handwashing Day! Officially set on October 15, all our beneficiary schools from Chacaya to San Juan Mirador spent the month of October learning about the importance of handwashing to prevent disease and stay healthy.

At Tzan’chaj Primary School, students participated in skits and sang songs that went over important handwashing steps, such as washing your hands before eating or cooking and scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. At Nueva Providencia Primary School, the principal held a school-wide assembly, where children and teachers learned how handwashing can cut infection rates and keep students healthy, leading to improved academic productivity.

According to Tomas Mendoza, the WASH Project Coordinator, “Having proper sanitation facilities is important, but so is educational training and raising awareness.” Although these schools now have WASH facilities, students are not always aware of why handwashing is so important. Through Global Handwashing Day activities, students were able to “learn the proper handwashing steps in a fun and interactive way.”

These improvements to sanitation and health in rural Guatemala are possible only with the support of donors like you. As we near the end of the year, Pueblo a Pueblo is counting on you to help us reach our year-end fundraising goal of $60,000. With every dollar, we can continue the cycle of change for communities in rural Guatemala. Together we can build more bathrooms, equip more schools with WASH knowledge, and empower more communities.

Donate today to make a difference and improve health and hygiene in rural Guatemala!