Bolivia is facing a drinking water crisis, due to climate change. We, young people in La Paz, have been seeking solutions, so we started the Biosand Water Filter Project to help families stay healthy and well. We are mostly young women leading the project. Even though we are still often excluded from leading peace and justice work in Bolivia because of machismo, we volunteer long days to build biosand water filters for families in need. Please help us cover the cost of materials and transport!
In the last 20 years in Bolivia, climate change has caused our rivers and lakes to dry up, and our snow-capped mountains to rapidly lose their cover. All this damage has lessened Bolivian families' access to safe, clean water. Nowadays, families must depend on wells and rainwater, but these sources must be filtered to prevent water-borne illnesses, such as diarrhea. Responding to the need for drinking water, young people are building biosand water filters. Each one costs $50. Help us build them!
With your help, we as young Bolivians can overcome economic barriers to pay for materials and transport to build biosand water filters for families around La Paz. The filters offer an ecologically sound, highly affordable technology that can filter up to 72 L (19 gallons) of water a day, enough for 1-2 families. The Biosand Water Filter Project offers an immediate solution to an essential daily need, because climate change is already causing an emergency in clean, safe drinking water access.
Our work to build biosand filters in La Paz will serve as a model for work elsewhere in Bolivia, where drinking water scarcity is also increasing due to catastrophic droughts and floods. By volunteering, we become experts who can carry this technology back to our rural communities of origin. This project strengthens Bolivian families' access to clean, safe water. This will increase our health, wellbeing, and survival in our country, Bolivia, one of the nations most affected by climate change.
