Belkis: water and her students (2014)
Automatic audio transcript; may contain errors.

[0:00] My name is Belkis, Belkis Kiros, and I am the teacher of the Valle Grande School.

[0:07] In this community, there are approximately 110 inhabitants.

[0:13] Our principal problem always has been water.

[0:15] Water is our vital resource, and we don't have enough of it.

[0:20] Over my eight years working in this community, I've gotten to know the organization Rotary

[0:24] that have made our quality of life better, bringing reserve tanks of water, helping

[0:28] us in our small communities that have been forgotten by government organizations and

[0:33] institutions to bring us the most important resource, which is water, and as such reducing

[0:38] the incidence of sicknesses, bacteria of the digestive system, malaria, body infections.

[0:46] So two years ago they brought the tanks.

[0:49] We have a tank here now.

[0:51] In previous years, other members of the community have benefited not just the school but

[0:55] in various homes they have installed reserved tanks.

[0:58] Our communities feel totally grateful with this benefit, so we are able to improve, like I said earlier, our quality of life and have water.

[1:06] If I could define the word of gratitude toward you all, it would be the word hope.

[1:09] You are our hope, the hope that other people from other places have Jesus in their heart.

[1:16] You have shown love toward us and your support has been very important for improving our quality of life.

[1:24] The students have many difficulties to be able to continue studying.

[1:28] We don't have books, we don't have chalkboards.

[1:31] We don't even have enough chairs to be able to teach our class the way it should be.

[1:42] Many communities in Boca here in Panama suffer from many problems, especially the lack of water.

[1:51] Now, I'm going to present to you one of the benefits that the Rotary Organization is doing

[1:58] in our communities, bringing us from a cruel past to a better quality of life.

[2:07] The Rotary gave us a tank of water.

[2:11] Many of these communities have been forgotten.

[2:13] we aren't able to get enough of the most important resource,

[2:17] the fountain of life, which is water.

[2:22] In past years, when these organizations did not exist,

[2:26] members of our community died from many illnesses.

[2:33] Skin infections, amoebas, and many other parasites.

[2:38] So thanks to all of you, your collaboration, your faith,

[2:42] the love in your heart and your support has brought a drop of hope of happiness to our

[2:47] lives, improving our quality of life with the most important mineral spring, which is water.

[2:55] Our community feels very grateful and hopes that wherever all of you are,

[3:01] the love and grace of Jesus Christ is reflected through your efforts to help each one of these

[3:06] communities. If I could define the word of gratitude we have toward all of you,

[3:12] would say that you are our hope. The hope reflected in the love in each one of your actions and I

[3:19] invite you to support us in combating many illnesses, malaria, parasites, and many other illnesses.

[3:26] We thank you with all our hearts. Thank you. Today we are being visited by our friends from the

[3:41] Rotary. We're doing health checkups. Let's get closer to see the work of our friends.