Mangos, guavas, lemons and heaps of vegetables – all things that students at a Mweela Primary School in Sinazongwe can cultivate now, thanks to a hand pump in the courtyard.
Imagine going to school and not being able to access clean water. How would you stay hydrated? Stay clean and sanitary? Stay engaged in your learning?
“Water is life,” says Nene Kaunga. “In school, we teach learners the importance of water and the sources of water.”
The school’s deputy head teacher goes on to explain that the borehole saves them from walking long distances to fetch water and may provide the only safe drinking water that some of their rural students have access to throughout the day.
Operation Eyesight, with help from our generous donors, installed the borehole in 2008 to help prevent the spread of trachoma. The spread of this infectious disease, which causes vision loss, eye pain and eventually blindness, can be prevented with frequent hand and face washing. For that, you need safe, clean water.
“Hygienically, this water is very safe,” says Nene. “We’ve never had any child who has suffered from waterborne diseases as a result of drinking this water.”
On site access to clean water enables the Gift of Sight for students, but there are even more ripple effects. Since the borehole was installed, teachers have seen more girls enrolling and staying in school. And they’re no longer staying home from school during their periods, thanks to the fresh water, soap and pads the school provides.
As well as tending to an orchard and vegetable garden, the students also use the water to wash their hands and faces, clean the latrines and, on Fridays, mop their classrooms.
The ability to attend school and without the barrier of unsafe water provides not only the Gift of Sight for students in our areas of work, but also a life with endless potential.
Please give the Gift of Sight today.
