Project
Gonzalo Suazo School
The Gonzalo Suazo School is located in the rural community of Cerro Verde in the municipality of Marcala, Honduras. The school currently has three teachers who provide educational needs for kindergarten through 8th grade to 60 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.
Gonzalo Suazo is located in a community with higher-than-average reported cases of waterborne diseases, according to the regional Secretary of Health. In previous years, the reported cases of children sick with diarrhea have been very high. The community has a water system; however, their water is not constantly treated, allowing harmful bacteria to be present. The EOS International team, our implementing partner, has performed water quality tests and found bacterial contamination throughout the system, including in the school.
EOS will install a water treatment system, ‘Sistema Combinado’ or Combined System in English, to purify the water in the school. This system consists of a two-step process: first, the reduction of water turbidity (cleaning the water so it looks crystal clear), and second, treating the bacteria to ensure it is safe to drink. This system will serve as a mini-water treatment plant, reducing turbidity levels and killing any bacteria in the water. EOS technicians will install this system in collaboration with the students, teaching them how it works and the proper maintenance.
Following the installation, the program manager, Oneida Lara, will prepare a curriculum for the students on proper water sanitation and hygiene. She will continue visiting the school monthly and work with the teachers to educate the students on safe WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Education) practices. EOS also has a water quality lab in their office in Marcala and will do testing of the water after the system is installed to ensure the water is safe to drink. The EOS program has a 10-year track record of providing these solutions and ongoing monitoring to schools and communities in Central America.
Following the installation, the program manager, Oneida Lara, will prepare a curriculum for the students on proper water sanitation and hygiene. She will continue visiting the school monthly and work with the teachers to educate the students on safe WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Education) practices. EOS also has a water quality lab in their office in Marcala and will do testing of the water after the system is installed to ensure the water is safe to drink. The EOS program has a 10-year track record of providing these solutions and ongoing monitoring to schools and communities in Central America.
H2O for Life is not a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project implementer. We have partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing WASH in Schools projects around the world. Our NGO partners match funds needed for each school project. We also have a generous donor that provides us with an interest-free loan that, along with matching funds, allows for many projects to be started or possibly even completed before total funds have been raised. In rare situations we reserve the right to reallocate funds to alternate project(s).
Questions? Ask us at 651-756-7577 or info@h2oforlifeschools.org.
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