Project
Republica de Honduras
Project Complete!
Republica de Honduras is located in Tres Cruces in the rural municipality of Marcala, La Paz, Honduras. The school currently has three teachers who provide educational needs for kindergarten through 8th grade to 58 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.
The Republica de Honduras Primary School is located in a community that does not have access to safe drinking water and is, unfortunately, vulnerable to waterborne diseases. 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 school currently utilizes a drinking water supply from the community of Tres Cruces that is not treated. This supply is not chlorinated and, therefore at risk of contamination that could cause waterborne disease. Further compounding this challenge is issues with turbidity at the supply. Installing a chlorinator and potentially also a sistema combinada at the school guarantees that children have safe water while at school and while at home while also benefiting additional children and adults living in the community. In addition to drinking water needs, this school lacks adequate access to proper latrines. The existing latrines are in complete disrepair and remain largely unused. However, this results in students needing alternative access to proper sanitation facilities.
Our implementing partner, EOS International, 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. EOS will also install a water chlorinator within the community, so when students are at home, they will have access to safe drinking water as well, further decreasing the risk of waterborne diseases and making sure the children are healthy enough to stay in school.
This project will also update the latrines, providing children at school with safe, accessible, and proper sanitation. Following the installation, the program manager, Oneida Lara will prepare a curriculum for the students for 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.
This project will also update the latrines, providing children at school with safe, accessible, and proper sanitation. Following the installation, the program manager, Oneida Lara will prepare a curriculum for the students for 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.
