From 2012 Perú

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Can A Metropolis Die Of Thirst?

LIMA, Peru — The Santa Rosita kindergarten appears like an oasis of color amid the grays and browns of Huaycan, a grim Lima shantytown sprawling upwards into the dusty Andean foothills.

Yet appearances could not be more deceiving. The only water at Santa Rosita is that brought in buckets by the parents of the 30 toddlers, ages 3 to 5, enrolled here.

They use it to drink, wash their hands and flush the toilet in the outhouse behind their classroom, a glorified shack with wooden planks for walls and a corrugated metal roof.

Some of the water is treated, brought by parents with running water at home. But some is not.

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