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“Safe Water, Secure Future” Campaign 

Our development initiative in intermediate cities expanded to include an additional activity. 

This activity consists of improving access to drinking water and promoting its responsible use and healthy consumption to benefit host communities, migrant populations, and institutional stakeholders in the municipalities of Esquipulas Palo Gordo and San Marcos in Guatemala. 

Caring for Water is Caring for Life in our Communities 

The “Safe Water, Secure Future” campaign was created to promote water conservation and safe consumption among children, youth, and adults, starting with their daily activities at home, school, and in their communities. This initiative emerged in response to challenges to water access in Esquipulas Palo Gordo and San Marcos. In these communities, water is not always available every day, and in some places, it is not safe for consumption. In many homes, it is not used well. The campaign began in July 2025 and has progressed step by step, aiming to reach community members through means most appropriate to their age and position within the community.  

Learning From School: Education That is Lived and Shared

Activities began in schools, aiming to amplify the water conservation message among students and empower them to bring it home to their families. The Inter-American Dialogue designed a fun and participatory educational kit that includes visual and pedagogical materials such as illustrated stories, illustrative posters with key messages and actions for the safe care and consumption of water, participatory activities, practical guides for facilitators, and creative activities. These serve to facilitating the understanding, reflection, and adoption of good practices among children and young people. 

Key messages include: 

• Controlling tap water usage (make sure it is turned off). 
• Taking short showers.
• Storing water in sealed containers.
• Purify water (boil, chlorinate, or filter it). 
• Avoid littering, especially near watersheds.

Listening Before Acting:  

Before reaching the classrooms, the Dialogue coordinated a focus group with 38 school principals (16 men and 22 women). In this forum, the campaign’s methodological and educational kit was presented, and their experiences, suggestions, and needs were heard. Thanks to this exchange, the content was adjusted to ensure its relevance to each educational level and local context. 

Preparing Those who Facilitate Change:  

The Dialogue trained teachers and educational facilitators, who strengthened their pedagogical skills and their use of the methodological kit, guaranteeing a consistent, engaging, and culturally appropriate implementation of the campaign. 

Workshops That Teach Through Play:

Between September and November 2025, the campaign reached classrooms directly through playful, participatory workshops in 176 schools.  

As a result, this initiative reached 17,863 students (8,576 boys and 9,287 girls) on water conservation. The outreach included students from preschool through high school. 

Each workshop consisted of four parts: 

1. An illustrated story about water scarcity and the diseases caused by consuming contaminated water.
2. A discussion where students connected the story to their own communities.
3. Practical actions to learn how to care for and treat water at school, at home, and in the community.
4. A creative activity where groups created slogans or cheers to promote the responsible use of water.

Finally, each student made a personal commitment. Children and young people became message-bearers and agents of change, taking what they learned back to their homes.

Listening to the Community to Reach Every Home

While the work progressed in the schools, the Dialogue listened to the community to lay groundwork for the next stage of the campaign, which involves door-to-door awareness. 

Focus groups were held with community leaders and women who use the municipal water service, who shared how they use, store, and consume water, as well as the main problems they face. These sessions allowed for an understanding of health risks, daily practices, and the real needs of families. This information will form the basis for designing explicit, practical, and easy-to-use materials that will support community work in the coming months. 

What’s next:  

Bringing the message to every home. Between December 2025 and March 2026, the campaign will continue with: 

1. Household surveys to better understand habits and needs. 
2. Educational materials adapted to the local context. 
3. Training for community facilitators. 
4. Door-to-door visits to promote safe practices. or Coordination with ACREDICOM R.L. to facilitate access to water filters. 

During the survey, households will receive preliminary information on water conservation via a QR code. 

Lessons Learned

• Learning through play works: Playful methodologies make it easier for messages to be understood, remembered, and put into practice.
• Listening first improves results: Validating content with principals, teachers, and community leaders makes actions more effective.
• Contextualized material makes a difference: When examples reflect everyday life, people better understand the message.
• Youth is key: Children and young people are powerful agents of change in their homes.

“The progress achieved reflects an approach that integrates education, community participation and institutional coordination, laying a solid foundation for improving access to safe water, strengthening economic resilience and promoting more inclusive and sustainable development.”

Workshop with Primary School Students

Workshop with Basic Level Students

Workshop with Diversified School Program Students