Inside Mancico: Where Children Wake Before Dawn to Find Water

Photo: Children at the school rainwater harvesting system

This month, we’re walking the sun-baked paths of Mancico, a rural community in Nicaragua's Dry Corridor, with Maria Jose Martínez, our Program Officer on the ground. At the upcoming live event, she’ll show us what it means to live in a place where severe water shortages force families to make hard decisions over every drop. When there’s barely enough to drink, it can mean that there isn’t even enough to wash your hands.

A day that starts before the sun rises

For too many families living in this region, the school day begins well before sunrise. They set out in the dark, as early as 3 a.m., walking long distances to get water. The need to collect water often means that children show up to class tired and unbathed or miss school altogether.

Because the local well only replenishes a certain amount, water is rationed. During the driest times of the year, it’s 5 buckets of water per day to meet all their daily water needs. As a matter of comparison, a single morning shower in Canada can be the equivalent of anywhere between 8 and 22 buckets.

One shower for one Canadian can easily use more than twice as much water than the people of Mancico have available for an entire day.

El Niño Epicentre

Mancico sits at the heart of the Dry Corridor — a high-risk zone for drought and climate disaster, where there’s either too much water for few days, or too little for long terms. Droughts hit hard here. So do floods, because when the rains finally come, they surge over parched, hard-packed soil, threatening lives and property.

People here tell us that this year has been the hottest and driest in living memory, with temperatures regularly surging past 40°C. And climatologists warn the worst may still be ahead — a potential "Super Niño" looming over the Pacific, an extreme El Niño event unlike anything seen before in the region.

Photo: Andy from selfie video

"We're waiting for it to rain to see if the water comes, because we're worried about the water," — Andy, Mancico.

The obstacle: When water runs dry, so does the future

When a community’s thirst is so dire, the impact can be felt in places you wouldn’t expect. When water runs low or is contaminated by flooding, children get sick because mothers have to choose between hygiene and survival.

A school without handwashing stations becomes a place where illness spreads and children stay home to recover. Homes without water can't maintain the gardens that would provide the fruits and vegetables that keep children health.

Without enough water, families can't move forward — no matter how hard they try.

Project in progress: Bringing water — and possibility — to school

Safe water isn't just a health issue. It's an education issue. When children have consistent access to clean water at school, attendance improves and children are more likely to finish school.

Through CommRISE, Children Believe and local partners are working with community leaders, teachers, and families to meet the most pressing needs in Mancico. Together, we're doing everything we can to make sure every child can get to school — and stay there.

Program Impact:

• 104 children and 5 teachers now have access to clean water at school — for the first time — thanks to a rainwater harvesting system installed on the school roof, with a water filter to ensure it's safe to drink.
• Handwashing stations are now connected to the system, so children can wash their hands — something that wasn't possible before.
• A school garden is now growing mint, cucumbers, sweet pepper, squash, and more — because there's finally water to tend to it. Children are learning to grow food, not just survive the search for it.

What Your Support Means to Children

Andy told us what a huge difference it’ been to have water available at his school, and the small garden he now helps tend — because there's finally enough water to grow things.

"Now, when we go to the bathroom, we can wash our hands, and there will be fewer illnesses because we have water,” Andy says.

What's next: Plans are underway to bring rainwater harvesting systems to five more schools — reaching more children and over 60 additional families. The need is urgent as the Dry Corridor braces for another difficult season.

We'll continue walking with Mancico, alongside our local partners and community leaders, until every child who arrives at school has clean water to drink — and one less reason to stay home.

Photo: Children at school garden / water station

Made possible by our CommRISE community

CommRISE is a community of Canadians who show up every month where help rarely reaches — and where the complexities of poverty keep children from school.

Each month, we bring you inside a new community. You see, hear, and feel what life is really like through honest updates – the wins, the setback, the reality.

Join us for a unique experience that’s as close to being there yourself.

InsideRISE Live

June 24^th 12–12:45 PM ET

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