Preserving water in a thirsty world

” I stretch out my hands toward you, my soul to you like a parched land”.

” Psalm 143:6

To commemorate World Water Day Geardo Cortés, teacher from Providence School in Ovalle, Chile, shares with us the struggles of Chilean society against climate change. In the face of drougts, famine and water rationing, he invites us to preserve our environment, and consider it a gift from our Provident God.

As educators, we have the amazing opportunity to promote deep life changes in our students and our society. That is exactly our mission at the educational projects of the Providence schools across Chile. Today we celebrate World Water Day by sharing the invitation to preserve water, engaging in concrete actions in or with communities, while raising environmental awareness and highlighting the importance of protecting water, our environment and its ecosystems.

Our schools are located in the so-called «Norte Chico region» a semi-desert zone severely affected by global warming and climate change. Moreover, it has been under the negative effects of drought for more than a decade.

Conflicts over water have gradually been aggravated, fueling a great national debate, due especially to the paramount abuse of large agricultural companies that have been granted rights over rivers and canals or that own large dams. As a consequence water for irrigation has been rationed “one hour, once a week” on agricultural land. The living conditions of farmers have deteriorated, making it difficult for them to survive. Forced to leave thier lands, they usually migrate to the city in search of better conditions.

As a society we feel the need to learn how to protect and preserve water resources. By carrying out small actions together with our students we can advocate for more respectful and conscious ways of considering and relating to our environment. As a school, we can reduce, recycle and reuse as much as possible. For instance, we should avoid wasting water in our bathrooms, to contribute to ecological and social awareness.

Faith impels us to live harmoniously with creation, protecting her as a gift from our Provident God. We want to live day-by-day deeply committed to transformation, changing our interactions with our wonderful environment, of which we are but a small part.

Designed by a Student from Colegio de Ovalle

 Teacher Gerardo Cortés.

Colegio Providencia Ovalle.