Water Well in Guatemala

July 2023 Update

Thanks to your generosity we have now fully funded and installed the new water well at our Zona 13 Girls school. They will no longer be dependent on water deliveries during the dry season. On behalf of all of our students, Thank you!

a group of girls in pink sports kit stand next to a submersible pump with a sign saying "muchas gracias" in Spanish

A man in a concreted square pit installs pipes

Two men guiding pipes from a large machine

Two men in workwear installing pipes from the back of a large machine

female students in masks scoop water from new water well in Guatemala

The impact of climate change and our sustainable solution

Global warming is particularly affecting Guatemala. It triggers extreme weather events like cyclones, floods, and intense droughts which affect water supply. Our Girls’ School in Zona 13 Guatemala, cares for 900 of the poorest girls in the country and clean water is essential for our girls, to maintain their health and hygiene and ensure they grow up safe.

However the school struggles to access clean water all year round particularly during the long dry season and so the school currently has to bring in 3 tons of water weekly to supply the girls with enough clean water for drinking, sanitation, and cooking. The process is inefficient and the cost is extremely high.

To solve this problem

We are working to raise funds to equip a new water well in Zona 13 Girls School, Guatemala with a submersible pump and filtration system. The well was dug last year, the supply of water at ground level is plentiful and with a new pump it can be extracted and piped to tanks at the school providing a reliable supply of fresh and safe water for drinking, sanitation, and cooking.

The school has frequently suffered cuts to water supply during the dry season which gets earlier every year. This new pump and filtration system will provide clean, safe water for the girls in our school from a sustainable and reliable source on site.

New pump and filtration system for our well in Guatemala

By installing a water pump in the new well, the school can access safe, clean drinking water at very low cost all year, increasing their drought resilience and freeing up funds to support school places for more desperately poor girls. The submersible pump is placed at a depth of 1,240 feet, and will pump water to the surface through filters and deliver it to tanks located near the school building..

Long Term Impact

The long term impact of providing a pump for the well is sustainable, reliable and clean drinking water all year round for the poorest girls. It removes the dependence on an unreliable, costly water supply from the city, which is already under immense strain. The long term financial impact is that the school does not need to buy water at a cost of roughly $51,000 per year. The money saved can be used to educate more girls out of poverty and meet their basic needs.

– Carey Evans