NICARAGUA, Ray of Hope
UNICEF installs solar-powered water pump, changes lives of Nicaraguan families.
More than 2.6 billion people—40 percent of the world's population— lack basic sanitation facilities, while more than 1 billion people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Thousands of children die every day from diarrhea and other water, sanitation, and hygiene-related diseases, while many more suffer and are weakened by illness.
UNICEF/ HQ05-1711/Asad Zaidi
Twelve-year-old Rosibel Gonzalez lives with her parents and five siblings in a small community called La Horca in the mountains of central Nicaragua. Until recently, Rosibel had to walk four kilometers to fetch water for the family every day before school. She awoke before dawn, and, alone and vulnerable, traversed the long, rocky road to the creek. She carried back a bucket of water on her head, repeating the task after school in the afternoon and again before bed. And after all of this, the water she fetched was unclean. It came from the same creek where village livestock drink.
When Rosibel's little brother, Wilber, was only eight months old, he and other villagers contracted cholera and suffered from diarrhea and severe vomiting. They required emergency care.
UNICEF stepped in. UNICEF provided a new solar-powered water pump and filtration system.
Now Maria Felix, Rosibel and Wilber's mother, no longer has to worry quite as much about her children. "Before we had the well," Maria said, "we had no other choice than to ask our little girl to get water from the creek. I couldn't give them drinking water or bathe them properly. I couldn't cook well because of that nasty water. I was very concerned."
The new well and pump system purifies from the ground and pumps it directly into the 35 houses in the community. "Before the project, this community was forgotten," explained Nienke Swagemakers, a UNICEF Nicaragua worker. "You could see very serious health problems. Having access to clean water and not having to struggle with so many diseases like diarrhea and cholera allows the children to put their energy into development of their physical and mental health and gives them opportunities to really learn when they are in school."
When Rosibel was asked about how her life has improved since the introduction of the new well, a big grin crossed her face: "I am so happy because I don't have to walk with water on my head. Now the water comes to my house! Before, I would have headaches and feel dizzy. Now, I feel really clean and happy."
Before the new water system, Rosibel walked 12 exhausting kilometers each day to retrieve unsafe water.
