Testimonials from kurunegala Schools
Note: translation subtitles in each interview are not direct, but instead are a reflection of what was said.
1. Hear from paul, the principal of Mahagalgamuwa School
Mahagalgamuwa was one of the five schools that was selected to receive a water filtration systems in Project #2.
"The students currently have to bring water from home because the school well is in poor condition due to high salt concentrations. The students have gotten stomach illnesses, rust has formed in their teeth, and a few have a urinating problem. When the water that the students bring from home runs out, they have to return home or travel to neighboring villages to get more.
Without water, the students are distracted and thirsty, but finding water disrupts the class day. With a filtration system installed, the students will be able to focus on their studies and stick to a normal schedule."
2. Hear from Ravi, the vice principal at bhrahmanayaga school, and a student
Bhrahmanayaga was another one of the five schools that was chosen to receieve water filtration systems, in addition to Mahagalgamuwa.
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"The main issue currently at the school is that the water in the well is contaminated with leaves and dirt, making it not safe to drink. The water is brownish and salty, which causes it to be dehydrating for the students.
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The students bring water from their houses, but this amount runs out before the class day ends. Then, they have to either drink water from the impure well or get water from the local temple. This requires the students to cross the road, which is not only dangerous, but also time-consuming. As a result, the school day is often disrupted.
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With clean drinking water, the students will be able to concentrate on what matters: their education. In addition, they will not suffer from the long-term illnesses caused by drinking contaminated water. These include kidney failures, and they only appear when the students are 30-40 years old."
3. Hear from students and the principal at Naramana Kanishta school
Naramana Kanishta was one of the schools that received a filtration system in our first project in Kurunegala.
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"Before the filter, students would get water from the temple well and the tap water line that came to the school, but these sources were contaminated with salt.
The saltiness of the water would cause the children to get tired quickly, hindering their learning. In addition, the metal in the water pipes was corroded, so the kids would develop rust linings on their teeth. Some students even fainted.
These illnesses disturbed classes at the school, and they had to stop programs as more and more students fainted.
Once a filtration system was installed, these health issues went away, and the students were able to focus on their education."