We are lucky to have running water at the colegio, however, this water is not safe for drinking. It comes from a volcanic spring and the sulfur and lead contents are above limits for potable water, although perfectly fine to use for washing. Because of this the colegio has placed jugs of clean safe drinking water throughout the classrooms at the school.
Before we started the water project, children were forced to bring water from home or to purchase water in the café on site. However, the administration decided that it would be a great benefit to the students to provide drinking water in every classroom. We purchase the water from a local natural spring in 5-gallon jugs. Each jug costs $2.30.
In the beginning, children in each classroom were asked to contribute one quarter each week for the purchase of the jugs. In 2014, a school in the US raised enough funds to provide our students with water for almost the whole year and in 2015, a friend in Switzerland donated funds for this project as well. (See below for some photos from 2014, thanking our donors!) In 2017, tuition was raised by $1 to eliminate this weekly expense for students, given that many students forgot to bring in the quarter.
By purchasing water like this, we encourage the children to think about two important things. The first is the environment: by purchasing the water in jugs and drinking out of cups or water bottles, the children do not create as much waste as they would by purchasing a new bottle every day. Secondly, the children are encouraged to think about economies of scale. For $0.25, they can have as much water as they can drink all week long. Or for $0.35, they can buy a 500mL bottle, every day.
If you are interested in helping offset the costs of our water project, you can donate below!
En el colegio hay agua pero no es potable. Viene de una fuente volcánica lo cual quiere decir que los índices de azufre y plomo en el agua son demasiado altos para poder tomar, aunque se puede usar para lavar. Por eso el colegio ha decidido proveer garrafones de agua potable a los alumnos.
Antes del comienzo del programa de agua, los alumnos lo tenían que traer de la casa o comprar en el cafetín. Sin embargo, es un gran beneficio para los alumnos tener agua. Compramos el agua de una empresa local en garrafones de cinco galones, los cuales cuestan $2.30.
En un principio, los alumnos contribuyeron $0.25 todas las semanas. En el 2014, una escuela en Estados Unidos recaudó dinero para pagar el agua durante casi todo el año y en el 2015 una amiga en Suiza donó para cubrir el agua también. En el 2017, se subió la cuota por $1/mes para cubrir este gasto, ya que muchos alumnos se olvidaron de la cora.
En comprar el agua así, motivamos a los alumnos pensar en dos cosas importantes. Primero, el medio ambiente: al comprar el garrafón y llenar una botella o un vaso cuando tengan sed, los alumnos no crean tanta basura como harían comprando una botella todos los días. Además, les enseña a pensar en los gastos que tienen…con $1.00 al mes pueden tomar todo el agua que quieran o con $0.35 pueden comprar una botella cada día.
Si estás interesado en ayudar con los gastos del programa de agua, puede donar abajo!
