For 18 months and as a consequence of the pandemic, the waters of the Cayapas River, in the province of Esmeraldas, stopped seeing the children going up and down the river in their canoes to get to school.
Since July 2021, students from the 63 native Chachi, Épera and Afro-descendant communities living in the Eloy Alfaro canton in Esmeraldas Province have been gradually returning to face-to-face classes.
UNICEF, with the support of the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), has implemented a water, sanitation, and hygiene response that has allowed more than 12,000 children attending 118 rural schools in Ecuador to return to classes. Many of these educational institutions, as well as the communities where they are located, do not have drinking water or sewage services.
The intervention has included the donation of refillable hand-washing stations, jerry cans, water purification tablets, soap and alcohol gels, masks for teachers, signage to promote hand-washing and refurbishment of sanitary infrastructures in the schools, among other benefits.
Ariadna, 11, has been attending school again for two days now. "One of the things I like most about school is being able to spend time and play with my friends again," she says.
During the time she was studying from home, Ariadna says she had some difficulty doing homework at times because she didn't have her teacher by her side to explain to her when she didn't understand something. "At school, it's different because the teacher teaches us on the chalkboard," she adds.
During UNICEF's tour of her community, San José de Cayapas, Ariadna shared her experience regarding the return to classes and the measures they are taking to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection.
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