Coming April 2024 - Another Water System

Clean Water's Coming for 600 Students

A first for the GMP! We'll install our first school-based water purification system in April 2024. It's an elementary/middle school in the rural village of Chukumuk, near the town of Santiago Atitlan.

The system will provide clean water for the 600 students, 85 families, and eventually the 15,000 people in the surrounding area. All 22 teachers are eager to have a 5-gallon bottle of purified water in each classroom.

The water source for the school, village and surrounding communities is municipal water from Lake Atitlan. This large lake is famous for its beauty but is contaminated with bacteria. Approximately 90% of the students have intestinal problems causing 60-70 absences per day.

Virtual Covenant Signing - August 2023

Chukumuk School Water Committee

Pablo, In-country Coordinator (far right)

GMP Members (on the screen behind)

Future Water System Room

Currently used as a storage room

Tiling the Water System Room Wall

08.08.23 View of School Buldings & Volcano.jpg

Rooftop View of School Buildings

Volcano in the background

We're Getting Ready for the Installation

What does it take to get ready?

Many preparations are underway here and in Guatemala.

Teachers are renovating the storage room/former kitchen for the water system according with government health & sanitation requirements. The GMP helped them financially to buy materials, such as 2 water tanks, 100 water bottles, a barrel sand filter, and miscellaneous hardware. The Water Committee has also identified the water system operators and the teaching team.

GMP members are inventorying and packing up educational supplies and numerous water system components. Airline tickets have been purchased.

Pablo Perez, our LWW in-country coordinator, is making arrangements for in-country travel and hotels. He also set up a WhatsApp group for the Water Committee and the GMP to communicate.