Francisco Morazán
Francisco Morazán is located in the rural community of Los Planes in the municipality of Marcala, La Paz, Honduras. The school currently has three teachers who provide educational needs for kindergarten through 8th grade to 68 students. Students regularly have significant absences from school due to waterborne illnesses. Providing access to safe drinking water within the school system will lead to healthier students, fewer absences due to illness, and a better education.
Nasaruni Girls - Underground Water Tank
If you come to Narok, and turn down a dusty, pot-holed road outside of town, you will travel 1 kilometer past ramshackle sheds and smiling shop clerks… to find a magical place where dreams come true, laughter and serious study unite. Here girls are nourished and educated, and thoroughly transformed as they grow into young women of purpose and confidence in the Maasai community. Welcome to Nasaruni Academy for Maasai Girls in Narok, Kenya!Nasaruni Academy is situated 9km west of Narok, in the southwestern region of Kenya which is semi-arid. According to Moses Sayo, school director, the Nasaruni community is predominantly Maasai, who are pastoralists with some sporadic practice of small scale farming. The area surrounding the school consists of approximately 7000 families. Some of the main challenges faced include the illiteracy rates and extensive poverty.
NUMA Water System - 14 Schools
Ghana is located in West Africa and is sandwiched between Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Togo. The northern border is the country Burkina Faso and the southern border is the Gulf of Guinea. The country is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The landscape consists mainly of plains and low plateaus covered by rainforests in the west and Lake Volta in the east.Children in Ghana begin two years of kindergarten at age four. Then all children ages 6-12 attend six years of elementary education. If families can afford it, children go on to secondary education. Ghana’s school system is more advanced than many of its African neighbors.There are over 50 different ethnic groups in Ghana, each with their own customs and languages. But the country is harmonious and peaceful. The Akan tribe is the largest group and makes up about 45 percent of the population. They live mostly in villages and grow their food on farms.Our implementing partner, Water4, is planning the construction of 14 safe water points for schools in 6 communities in Ghana. In addition to the students enrolled, 5 to 8 teachers are living on or near each school campus and will also have access to the piped water resource. By providing safe water for teachers and staff, more teachers are willing to stay in these more rural areas rather than transferring to a more urban school district.
St. Bruno Mwembe Primary School
A government-aided primary and nursery day school, St. Bruno Mwembe Primary School hosts 412 students, taught by 14 teachers in 8 classrooms. The primary school water source is piped water into the yard. Still, this source is highly unreliable, and staff described it as of poor quality, with an unacceptable color and taste. It is sometimes unavailable during daytime hours, typically only four days a week. Students fetch water twice a day and often miss class in the dry season to find alternate water sources. Most of the school’s water-related expenses center around treatment, which they do by rudimentary filtration and boiling.
St. Kizito Kayabwe Primary School
St. Kizito Kayabwe Primary School hosts roughly 700 primary school students, taught by 17 teachers throughout 10 classrooms. This day school is government-aided, relying on governmental funds for support. Although piped water is on school grounds, it is highly unreliable, and students, mainly girls, must fetch water twice a day. The facility spends 130,000 Ush monthly (roughly $35 USD) on water alone. Additionally, students and staff must boil the water before it can be used to wash dishes, prepare food, and/or drink. To eliminate health concerns among students, we are hoping to install a new rainwater collection system and provide water filters and handwashing stations.
St. Mugagga Junior School
Students at St. Mugagga Junior School currently have unreliable water sources including a small pond which is 4 kilometers roundtrip from the school. The pond is being shared with animals and other community members. Students face many challenges along the way while fetching water from the pond, including:
Apex Nursery and Primary School
Serving 373 students in Uganda’s Tula community as a private boarding and day primary and nursery school, Apex Nursery and Primary School currently relies on a metallic rainwater collection tank that has a low storage capacity and is breaking down - so much so that the Ugandan Water Project (UWP) team, our implementing partner, on the ground cited it as “beyond repairing.” The school must also bring water in from a tanker truck, meaning they pay roughly 500,000 Ush ($135 USD) monthly on water expenses alone. Apex Nursery and Primary School does use chlorine tablets to clean their water, but those are extra money and are difficult to dose. The UWP filter systems will eliminate that cost, and the water will be much safer. Overall, Apex Nursery and Primary School needs a rainwater collection system to provide safe drinking water, handwashing, and more.
Bukwaya Primary School
Bukwaya Primary School is located in the Iganga district of Uganda. Currently, the school has a pair of rainwater harvesting tanks that work great during and immediately after the rainy season but remain empty for the majority of the year. The most often-used source of water is a community well almost a mile away.