Clean water flows at a school in Negros Occidental thanks to solar power

SOLARIZE. Solar panels installed on the rooftop of Damutan Elementary School had made water accessible to students and teaching staff.

Negrosanon Young Leaders Institute

Kids at Damutan Elementary School in Hinobaan once brought their own water in 1.5-liter bottles for handwashing. That has changed.

MANILA, Philippines – Almost a year has passed since a village school in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental, went solar and improved not only their water access, but the children’s learning experience.

Julibeth Pacurib, teacher-in-charge of Damutan Elementary School in Hinobaan, said water access has long been a problem for them due to their location. The nearest water source is a hundred meters away, said Pacurib, and the water pumps they have used were unreliable due to power shortages.