MANILA, Philippines - With the help of a child-oriented non-government organization, children in Capaculan village in Masbate province will have clean drinking water in time for World Water Day on March 22.
Plan International said this will be a welcome change from past years when residents had to boil and cool water for a long time because water from the wells was often muddy and murky.
"Capaculan is now a ray of hope rather than a dismal statistic. Last year, Plan collaborated in the introduction of bio-sand filters, a new clean water technology, at school," it said in a statement dated Thursday.
Under the new setup, children were taught how to use and maintain the filters. After classes, they were allowed to take them home for their families.
As a result, Plan said "cases of diarrhea and other illnesses related to unclean water are much rarer now."
Plan said that every year, about 2,000,000 children around the world die of diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.
World Water Day is an opportunity for communities and policy makers to focus on how to tackle this tragic reality, it said.
As part of the 2008 International Year of Sanitation, Plan is working to help other communities across the globe reduce risks to children's health caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.
In recent months, 10 country offices have begun Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programs.
CLTS is a radical new approach to ending open defecation that focuses on convincing communities to keep their local environments clean.
The countries are Indonesia, Timor Leste, Pakistan, Philippines (pilot project), Kenya, Tanzania, Zimababwe, Uganda, Malawi and Egypt. - GMANews.TV