Another successful Kids 4 Clean Water summer camp

The children of the San Mateo Subdivision in northern Ambergris Caye participated in the annual Kids 4 Clean Water camp from Monday, August 14th to Sunday, August 20th. The annual event features a five day program that serves as a platform to educate residents of the area on the environmental and health issues associated with its water reserves. The camp aims to teach children about water safety, the water cycle, water pollution, and environmental conservation.
This year, the program saw dozens of children taking part in the 6th Kids 4 Clean Water Camp. According to Heather Zwicker founder of the program and representative from Belize Community Conservation, the program has been yielding positive results. “The children have become more aware about the health issues around their neighborhood and are practicing what they learn in the camp when it comes to water safety,” said Zwicker. She also stated that many of the participants have become more aware of the importance of protecting the environment and are passing on the message to others.
Zwicker also mentioned that as part of the camp, they conduct water testing in the community. “We teach them how to test for bacteria and how to read the tests,” she said. Zwicker mentioned that an important factor of the camp has been to teach sanitation and hygiene.
Assisting in the camp this year were the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) and Projects Abroad. Kesha Dunn, a volunteer from CYEN says the children had fun while learning very important information regarding water safety. “The children enjoyed every segment of the program, learning the benefits of handling clean water and proper hand washing as well,” said Dunn. The camp ended on Sunday, August 20th, with a bar-b-que for the participants and their parents.
The program has been only concentrating in the San Mateo Area, however, there are intentions to expand the camp to other areas of the island. The other subdivision that could benefit from this annual camp is San Pedrito. Organizers are hopeful that in the near future the expansion of ‘Kids 4 Clean Water’ can be possible beyond San Mateo.