Project
Gracias a Dios
Project Complete!
Gracias a Dios School is located in the rural municipality of Marcala, La Paz, Honduras. The local community is Montaña Verde. The school has 5 teachers and provides education to 90 students from k-8. Students have significant absences from school due to waterborne illnesses. Access to safe drinking water within the school will lead to healthier students and less absences due to illness, allowing for a better education.
The school is located in a community that does not have access to safe drinking water and unfortunately is vulnerable to waterborne diseases. In previous years the reported cases of children sick with diarrhea has been very high. The community has a water system however their water is not treated allowing harmful bacteria to be present.
Our implementing partner, EOS International, will install a water treatment system ‘Sistema Combinado’ (Combined System, in English) to purify the water at the school. This system consists of a two-step process:
- Reduction of water turbidity (cleaning the water so it is crystal clear)
- Treating the bacteria to ensure it is safe to drink
This system will serve as a mini-water treatment plant, reducing the levels of turbidity and killing any bacteria present in the water. EOS technicians will install this system in collaboration with the teachers and students, teaching them how it works and the proper maintenance. Program manager Oneida Lara has prepared a curriculum around water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) for the students. She will continue visiting the school monthly and work with the teachers to educate students on safe WASH practices.
EOS has a water quality lab at their office in Marcala and will do testing after the system is installed to ensure the water is safe to drink. This program has a 10-year track record providing 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.
Project Sponsors
May 26, 2023
Installation of Combined Water System
In February 2020, the Gracias a Dios educational center was visited in the Montaña Verde community, about 35 kilometers from the center of Márcala. It has 110 students and seven...
