Rotherglen helps bring clean water to Ecuador communityBy Dominik Kurekwhere she met the young woman Dali.OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFOn the meeting day, Klassen walked withthe girl from her house, carrying pots, to theThe students of Rotherglen School innearest watering hole on a hot day.Oakville have already helped their counter-At the watering hole, Dali used a piece of parts in an Ecuadorian community by pro-fabric to filter the water entering the pot andviding funds for the construction of aa film of dirt formed on the cloth itself in theschool.process. On their way back, they each put aNow, the local students will help providepot on their head to carry them home.water to the same community in SouthWithin 10 steps Klassen said her neck wasAmerica, as part of a four-year commitmenthurting and the way was much further,to improve the lives of the villagers.including travelling up and downhill, overRotherglen students will raise funds thisobstacles and under them. When theyyear for the construction of a water project,returned to Dalis home, Klassen waswhich will be executed by the schools part-exhausted and surprised that Dali has to doner agency, Free the Children, in the com-that every day.munity. It is the same organization thatShe tells me, I do this 10 times a day.built a school last year after the schoolTen times a day for half an hour, thats fiveraised funds. This is also the second of ahours of walking every single day, Klassenfour-year commitment to help improve thesaid.quality of life in that community throughIt wasnt until that moment that I trulythe gradual completion of four projects.did understand what lacking water trulyTo show the students just how importantmeans.their fundraising efforts are, Free theShe also told the students water is pol-Children came to the school, as part of itsluted and contaminated in India, whereSarah KlassenDerrick An H2O speaking tour, which is sponsored by1,600 people die each day because of uncleanthe RBC Foundation, through its Bluewater.the glass with some water and return. BothThe pair also talked about how Canada isWater Project.An also had a similar experience, when hetrips took 16 seconds to complete.one of the largest exporters around theFree the Children speakers Derrick Antravelled to China. He told the students toIt took Derrick and me 16 seconds toworld of water, by companies who sell itand Sarah Klassen had a short game withimagine walking up to a water fountain on aget a glass of drinking water. For my friendaround the world for profit. In China, Anthe children early in the presentation. Theyhot, humid summer day and being told by aDali, her reality is a lot different, saidsaid, people who cannot afford bottled water,had an empty glass and asked a pair of stu-friend not to drink the water because it wasKlassen.boil water and let it sit in a pot for two daysdents to go with them, one at a time, byunsafe.Klassen spoke about her summer trip to even then, only about half the water in thespeed walking to the nearest fountain, fillYou may not think that will ever happenIndia where she visited a village called Lai,pot is drinkable. to you, but that was my experience this sum-The pair said a person needs to drinkmer, he said.about 2.4 litres of water to survive each day,It was a very hot, humid and smoggy daybut the average Canadian uses about 328when he arrived in China and his cab had nolitres. This consumption is 35 per cent usedair conditioning. He stayed in a hostel wherefor bathing, 30 per cent for toilet flushing,there also was no air conditioning and when25 per cent for laundry and cleaning andhe want to a communal bathroom to drinkonly 10 per cent for cooking and drinking.water from the tap he saw a sign saying theWe challenge you today to help matterswater was undrinkable. He went to the frontaround the world, Klassen told the stu-desk to find out how to get water from thedents. We have three steps that you canreceptionist.take today. Number one is to stop usingShe laughs at me and said nobody drinksplastic water bottles. Step number two, taketap water. Then she says, If you want cleana pledge to take shorter showers and stepwater in China, you have to buy bottled, henumber three and youre already doing ittold the gathering. partner with a community across theHe told the students China has 20 perworld to provide clean water.cent of the worlds population but only sevenThe Free the Children Adopt a Villageper cent of its fresh water and the water itprogram is just one of many initiativeshas is contaminated with various chemicals,Rotherglen is involved in, which includeall man-made problems.projects both local and abroad.EXPERIENCE A REVOLUTIONARY LONG LASTING DERMAL FILLER FROM EUROPEBeautical is a dermal fi ller for the correction of deep lines and restoring volume to the lips and cheeks. Compared to other dermal fi llers, Beautical lasts 2 to 5 years, is less painful, has little to no swelling and is extremely soft and natural looking. 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