Meet Irzan from El Salvador

Catholic Relief Services’ water and sanitation projects in El Salvador and around the world help bring clean water to families and communities. Clean water means better health, especially for young children. These projects reflect the Catholic social teaching principle Rights and Responsibilities.

My name is Irzan Bladimir, and I’m in the fifth grade at Centro Escolar El Escalón, an elementary school in Honduritas, El Salvador. People have to travel for more than an hour off the main road to get to Honduritas. Water is scarce. There are twelve people living in my house, and we do not have running water. Until last year, our school of 88 students had no bathrooms. We had a toilet outside, but my classmates and I wouldn’t use it because the concrete seat was loose and we were afraid we would fall.

Everything changed when CRS helped build a water tank, two bathrooms (one for boys and one for girls), and a sink with five faucets for washing hands at our school. Now our bathroom has water and light, it’s spacious, it’s better. Our teacher taught us about the importance of washing our hands and not wasting water. Now my classmates and I don’t get sick as often. Before, our water tasted like mud. Now it tastes better, it has no flavor.