Lesly is 12 years old and comes from the village of Nueva Candelaria in Santa Rosa. She has two younger brothers aged 10 and 1 and her family earn a meagre living as farmers.
There is no mains water to her village and water is scarce. In the dry summer months her community relies on a small local tank for the supply of water but it is not sufficient for everyone and this water often runs out. The family resort to drawing water from a small well which is not very close to their home and not enough for everyone.
Lesly says “we have to get up very early to be able to get some water but it’s very hilly, muddy and dangerous for us to fetch water alone. My dad can’t go with us because he works in the fields to bring in a little money because if he doesn’t go to work the next day we don’t have anything to eat”.
Sometimes a water truck is able to make it to her village to provide water, and she is able to fill barrels with fresh water to wash, drink and cook but the truck often cannot reach her community because of the muddy, impassable ground. In the winter she collects rainwater in containers at home but if the winter is dry they have to resort to fetching it from the well but by then the water is very dirty and it often makes them unwell.
With the support of our friends and donors we welcomed Lesly into a place at our Girlstown school this year. Now, thanks to your generosity, she has access to fresh water every day for cooking, cleaning and washing. When she finishes her studies and finds work she will be able to help her family with easier access to water which will make a life-changing difference to their health and welfare.