Escuela Nº67 de Pueblo Olivera

Escuela Nº67 de Pueblo Olivera, a government kindergarten and primary school in Olivera, Salto, Uruguay, has been nothing less than remarkable in its efforts to overcome a water contamination issue in the town. Through its tireless efforts, the small, two-teacher school not only tackled a real-life problem that had been harming its community but also raised awareness about the importance of water quality, while also highlighting the need for research in small and remote communities. The school’s commitment to the health of its children and community is a testament to the power of collaboration and community-driven initiatives.

Escuela Nº67 de Pueblo Olivera was originally faced with an inexplicable situation where the students were constantly afflicted by diarrhoea and vomiting. Despite any lack of investigative expertise, the two teachers used a process of elimination to test everything from the food and soil, and even the air. The process was hampered by community resistance, limited interest from labs and universities, difficulty in raising funds, and the lack of resources in an isolated area.

Eventually, the school was able to collaborate with various public and private institutions who taught it how to collect samples that were then sent in for analysis. One of these organisations was Ceibal, a technology-based teaching foundation, who connected it with relevant research and analysis facilities.

The town that Escuela Nº67 de Pueblo Olivera serves is made up of just 200 inhabitants, all of whom use the same single well for all of their drinking, cooking, cleaning, and other water needs. When it was discovered that the water was the source of contamination, the immediate solution was to boil drinking water at home. Later, the school managed to have a chlorinator installed in the pump to make the water drinkable, a process that was later optimised, using test tubes to ensure the optimal level of chlorine.

To help raise awareness and teach the importance of water quality, Ceibal helped use the water contamination situation to develop a course on health and water quality management. By involving children, families, and the whole community in the problem-solving process, the school achieved a solution that improved everyone’s quality of life.

If Escuela Nº67 de Pueblo Olivera wins the World's Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives, it intends to use the prize money to buy technology to design devices that ensure safe drinking water and to build a multipurpose community space for meetings, workshops, sports, and other needs, becoming a reference centre for local activities.