Water is right
Dominican Republic
The fabric of life
How young people in the Dominican Republic pave the way for water and themselves
Water is essential for life. While a person can survive without food for three to four weeks, they can only survive without water for three to four days. Yet, up to two billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. This has dramatic consequences: Approximately three children die every minute in the world from diseases caused by contaminated water. Every year, 2.1 million people lose their lives due to diseases related to poor water hygiene.
Projects such as WASH, short for „Water, Sanitation, Hygiene“ provide a solution. The abbreviation stands for “Water, Sanitation, Hygiene”. The projects aim to ensure access to clean drinking water and to improve hygiene conditions, including through sanitary facilities. The Frankfurt-based Water is Right Foundation, in cooperation with the NPH Dominican Republic children’s aid organisation (Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos – Our Little Brothers and Sisters), is also committed to this cause.
Water forward in the holiday paradise
Located about an hour’s drive from the Dominican capital Santo Domingo, in a semi-rural community outside of San Pedro de Macorís, there is a training center on the grounds of an NPH children’s village. The children living there are mostly orphans or have lost one parent. They and other children from the area receive education at NPH in primary and secondary schools.
Most of the young people from the vicinity of the children’s home were born in the Dominican Republic and are descendants of Haitian immigrants. Due to their background, they do not have the opportunity to become regular citizens and are therefore limited in their employment opportunities.
With the support of a project funded by the DER Touristik Foundation, these marginalised young people are to be given a path to self-reliance. During the school year, they receive vocational training in water supply and wastewater management.
Within a year, 20 young people over 18 years of age, including five women, will be empowered to become self-employed in repairing, maintaining, and installing water and wastewater infrastructure. In addition to the regular school program during the week, plumbing, electrical work, and masonry are on the agenda on Saturdays – everything needed to work on water infrastructure.
This achieves two goals at once:
Another important aspect is the combination of practical training with on-the-job internships. The trainees repair, improve, maintain, and install water tanks, toilets, showers, sinks, pipes, pumps, drains, gutters, and similar water and wastewater facilities in NPH schools or private homes.
Upon successfully completing their training, the graduates gain access to a tool rental program, through which they can borrow tools for subsequent assignments as independent contractors.
Water is Right Foundation & NPH Dominican Republic
The Water is Right Foundation advocates worldwide for the human right to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Through innovative water treatment solutions in regions cut off from clean drinking water, the foundation ensures that water is treated and provided locally. Among other methods, this is achieved through the training of professionals in water management techniques.
NPH Dominican Republic is part of the international aid organisation Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, which has been supporting vulnerable children and strengthening their families in nine Latin American countries for over 70 years. The organization operates children’s homes, schools, and training facilities, among other efforts.