Bolivian mission humbles Nalco employees
How does piped-in water lead to better educational opportunities for rural Bolivians? Jason Fues of Glen Ellyn and Lisa Wesoloski of Naperville, both workers at Nalco, found the answer during a recent volunteer mission to the South American country, where they were checking up on a 3-year-old water pipeline project — and visiting areas still lacking reliable water supplies.
Fues and Wesoloski of Naperville traveled for hours on dirt roads to remote areas of Bolivia.
The two employees of Naperville-based Nalco visited villages where new piped-in water systems ended the need to trudge five miles from home each day to bring back drinkable water. And they visited villages where no clean water is available and children fill used plastic soda bottles with gray and murky water to drink from nearly dried-up aquifers.
Fues said his experiences last November as a volunteer for Water For People World Water Corps, a nonprofit, were humbling. He, Wesoloski, and two others who were fluent in Spanish and willing to rough it were selected for the mission, which was supported by Nalco.
Fues, Wesoloski and their colleagues relayed their experiences last week before executives at Nalco, a global corporation that provides water treatment and other solutions.
Families outside La Paz told the visitors how they managed to get water before installation three years ago of pipes with outdoor spigots and latrines.
“They sent the young girls because the men were working in the fields,” Fues said. “So these girls couldn’t go to school and never became literate. And then they moved on to motherhood and a cycle would continue that they couldn’t get out of.”
Nalco, through its foundation, has supported Water For People with grants since 2004. Nalco provided paid vacations for those making the Bolivia trip and their travel was paid through fundraisers, like an annual barbecue held at the Naperville headquarters, said Nalco spokesman Charlie Pajor.
Wesoloski described daylong travels into remote towns that are desperate for water.
She found schools, but no children running or playing outside them.
“People were moving out of this area,” she said. “Because if you have no water, you’re going to end up having a ghost town.”
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FastTrack
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