Today we celebrate the Children's Day, a special date to recognize that children are the future of our country and deserve to live with dignity and health. But it is also a date to reflect on the challenges faced by thousands of girls and boys who do not have access to adequate sanitation in the country. Access to clean and safe bathrooms is the key to children's well-being by improving their quality of life and preventing childhood diseases.
More than a bathroom, it is an opportunity to live better
Did you know that safe sanitation is one of the most violated human rights in Honduras? According to UNICEF figures, hurricanes Eta and Iota put people at risk of diseases due to contaminated water. 1.5 million children and adolescents.
On the other hand, a study carried out in Mosquitia, Gracias a Dios, shows that 36% girls They reported not going to classes during their menstruation due to lack of an adequate menstrual hygiene place.
Besides, the 23% and the 40% of the population It does not have drinking water or adequate sanitation, respectively. This raises the risk of fatal diarrheal diseases in children.
These figures show us that we cannot remain idly faced with the reality that millions of boys and girls in our country experience. Therefore, we invite you to discover the transformative power of safe sanitation.
How safe sanitation transforms children's lives
What would you do if you didn't have a bathroom in your house? What would happen if the water you used for your toilet was dirty and you got sick? What if you didn't have a safe and private place to take care of your hygiene? Also, what would happen if you couldn't go to school due to lack of bathrooms? Millions of boys and girls in Honduras face these challenges that affect their health, education and dignity due to the lack of safe sanitation.
The call is loud and clear
Building a healthy future for Honduran children means paying strong attention to sanitation.
Access to this service will prevent diseases transmitted by contaminated water, which cause dehydration, malnutrition and anemia. That's why safe sanitation improves children's nutrition and development.
Many of them dream of going to school, learning and having fun with their friends. But for them, clean water and sanitation are not a reality, but a wish. Many walk long distances to fetch water or miss classes due to illness or lack of adequate toilets in their schools. This affects their school attendance and academic performance, limiting their future opportunities.
With safe sanitation in homes and schools, children can attend classes, maintain hygiene, prevent infections and focus on their studies, breaking the cycle of poverty and exclusion in Honduras.
The future we long for cannot be built without equality
Many girls have to look for bathrooms outside their home or school during their menstrual period, facing situations of violence and discrimination. This affects their dignity, privacy and education.
Here, safe sanitation protects girls, giving them access to decent toilets and the ability to confidentially care for their hygiene.
Sanitation for all, forever
In it Children's Day, we join a call to action that goes beyond words.
As you may have read, in Honduras, many communities lack drinking water and sanitation, affecting children's health and development. Therefore, we want to bring them water so that the children grow up with dignity, hope and dreams. Because water is life, and life is the future.
Are Water for People, an organization that believes in the power of safe sanitation to transform the lives of children. With your donation, we open the doors to opportunities for Honduran children in a future where health, education and dignity are unbreakable.
Because water is more than a liquid, it is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to dream. Because the Sanitation is for everyone, and forever.