Teacher inspires students to spread awareness of global water crisis
Photos courtesy Downey High School.
DOWNEY — Claudia Ramírez, Spanish teacher at Downey High School, helped her students cultivate awareness about the lack of clean drinking water in many parts of the world.
She did this by having students carry water bottles and baby bottles filled with dirty water, bringing attention to the scarcity of water around the world.
The dirty water bottles sparked discussion among students about how women and children are forced to drink dirty water and how mothers often are forced to see their babies die.
“What hit me really hard is thinking about my baby brother and what I would feel if I had no choice but to give him contaminated water,” said Wendy Galvan, a senior at Downey High School.
Students said they developed empathy for people affected by water scarcity around the world. They also said they had a greater appreciation for their access to water here.
“The purpose of this activity was to increase learners’ awareness about the global water crisis and to teach students that they are citizens of the world and have a moral obligation to improve the world,” said Ramirez.
Hundreds of students plan on hosting a “Walk for Water” fundraiser at Downey High School on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. More details will be released in the coming weeks.
