In a remote community in Bolivia, a small school sits tucked between rolling hills. Dots on the hillside grow and turn to children as they approach, their voices and laughter amplified by the mountains. The students arrive at school full of energy and eager for their first activity – writing fairy tales to practice their creativity and language skills. For them, education is everything.
Rural schools like this face immense challenges in securing safe water access. The town is so far away, so deep in the mountains, and so spread out that national programs for water access never would have reached it. The cost to get a rig up there to drill a well would be prohibitive.
One of these students is Yolanda. She eagerly talked about her love for soccer and writing. While she was joyful walking to school this morning, a few years ago, attending school was much more difficult. Every morning, students were required to bring a heavy bucket of water to school for their daily use. Yolanda had to wake up extra early to collect water from the river before making the long walk to class. By the time she arrived, exhaustion made it hard to focus on learning.
Water For People partnered with her school to build bathrooms and sinks and establish a reliable source of safe drinking water. Now, as the students gather around the sinks to wash their hands before lunch, they no longer worry about a lack of water.
Over on the playground, Yolanda scores a goal in a lively soccer game – a moment that demonstrates the impact of these improvements. With access to water and bathrooms to use at school, children like Yolanda can spend their time doing what matters: learning, writing, playing with friends, and scoring goals.
Supporting Water For People means transforming schools like this one. It means changing the story for students like Yolanda. Today, these children are full of dreams, energy, and hope – unlocked by the simple yet powerful gift of water and sanitation.
