St. Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua Young Leaders have had a busy week with the start of the second part of their project. This week, the Young Leaders helped to carry in blocks, which will be used for the support of the water tank, as they started the implementation phase of the project.{{more}} The water tank will be used to collect rain water off the school’s building. Once water is collected, it will be used for irrigating the school’s farm lands, as well as for hydroponics. By using the rainwater for these purposes, the Young Leaders are conserving clean water. They also had a Hat Day, where students were allowed to wear any fun hat and pay a dollar in support of the Young Leaders fundraising efforts.

There is a world water crisis, which has prompted RBTT to present this topic for Young Leaders 2010-2011. This crisis comes as a result of increased populations, with a higher demand for an already limited amount of fresh water.

Here are some surprising facts about the problem: Approximately one in eight people lack access to clean water, that’s 884 million people (WHO-UNICEF); Two out of six people lack adequate sanitation (worldwatercouncil.org); Every 20 seconds a child dies from water borne diseases (water.org); The simple act of washing hands with soap and clean water can reduce diarrheal disease by over 40% (UNICEF); Agriculture accounts for over 80% of the world’s water consumption (UN Environmental Program).

There needs to be better management of water. Through their project, SJCM Young Leaders are showing the people of St. Vincent ways to conserve water and use it meaningfully.