Article by Lindsey Quinn.
Water ripples through the lives of the poor, affecting everything from health status to opportunities for girls. Lacking potable water, families are trapped in an endless cycle to find it; 70 million people live without access to improved drinking water.1
Jhoanna was responsible for collecting her family's water as a child.
Jhoanna (at left) and Shiena spent most of their lives in Manila, Philippines, without clean water.
Jhoanna, age 18, was responsible for collecting her family's water. "When I was a child, our source of drinking water was a pump well, both for drinking and for all other uses in our house. By fetching water, I helped ensure that we drank clean water."
Shiena remembers how difficult it was to get something to drink. "If we wanted to get water in the school, it was difficult," the 17-year-old recalls. "There were years when what we had was just a toilet that had a water faucet. This was the source of water for all uses. There was no washing area or basin with tap water. So, at times, children took their water from the faucet in the toilet."
The burden of water's work is disproportionately carried by women and girls like Jhoanna and Shiena. It's estimated that girls in low-income countries spend 80 billion hours a year collecting water.2
Aware of water's importance to good health – and how lack of access can impede girls' advancement – Children International and Planet Water Foundation entered a collaboration to bring clean water to communities in the Philippines, India and the Dominican Republic. Planet Water specializes in AquaTowers that can serve a community of 1,000 with up to 10,000 liters of clean water a day.
Jhoanna and Shiena were excited to participate in the installation of an AquaTower at a school in their community.
Shiena helped other volunteer youth construct the tower, challenging herself to put the structure and machinery together: "At the start, the task looked difficult to me. I did not know what to do. But as we progressed, what we were doing gradually took shape, and it was easier to work because I would imagine how it would look. When it was all over and the water tower was standing there at the corner of the school, I felt good that I was here to help build it."
Jhoanna focused her attention on educating children at the school. "I taught about the importance of water, proper hand-washing, how diseases are spread and how their spread can be prevented," she says. Assisting with the project was of personal importance to Jhoanna. "I was happy to volunteer because clean water is very important to schools," she shares. "I spent my elementary years in this school, so I did not hesitate to help."
Lacking clean water at school, children used to go thirsty; now students can have clean water whenever they need it. The tower has been so popular that each class has a designated time to use it.
Access to safe, clean water means students have more time to focus on their classes, studying and extracurricular activities.
Jhoanna and Shiena are also pleased with the tower's positive impact on the community. "I see things getting better in our school," Jhoanna says. "I see many changes. They have the support from the government and from organizations like Children International."
1 WHO/UNICEF 2 Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
Photos and reporting assistance by Joel Abelinde.
Thanks to Children International and Planet Water Foundation, children in the Philippines have fresh, safe water.
