Sometimes, there is no existing solution that fits the local reality, so the Swarovski Waterschool has to develop it. In São Raimundo, the first solution needed was in regard to water collection and distribution. 

Up until November 2020, the Indigenous community of São Raimundo sourced their water directly from the lake, carried in buckets up and down steep dirt paths by women and children. Not only was this a laborious task, it also created a gender imbalance. 

Inspired by the ideas of the community’s chief, the Swarovski Waterschool installed water taps in each house to alleviate this challenge. However, these taps then faced a new problem: the pump for the taps relied on diesel fuel, which was expensive for the community to maintain. Furthermore, the water was still being consumed without proper treatment.
 
The following year, the project combined efforts with a group of engineers to develop a system that used solar energy to pump, filter, and purify the water to make it drinkable.

In Amazonas state, the youth of the Uixi community is a particularly vulnerable group due to their lack of local job opportunities. Because of this, many young people are forced to move great distances to urban areas to study or seek employment.
 
In 2018, the Swarovski Waterschool project began focusing its efforts on strengthening leadership skills among the Uixi youth and investing in initiatives brought forth by youth groups. After taking part in Swarovski Waterschool training programs, youth leaders formed action groups that implemented water initiatives within their communities and brought water education to surrounding areas.

“[We taught] them about garbage and water, and during our travels we could see that they were putting what they learned into practice. They built a dump, which made the community cleaner.” 
– Jorlaine, Uixi community youth group member/leader

Eliana da Silva has been a part of the Swarovski Waterschool project in Brazil since its beginning. She participated in the workshops in her school as a student as well as youth leadership trainings, where she helped coordinate youth groups in her community. In 2021, she and six youth group members brought water education and waste management campaigns to three other Amazon River basin communities.
 
Da Silva’s experience with the Swarovski Waterschool project has inspired her to become an educator. She became the first person in her community to be hired as a teacher and to work in a local school.
 
“This project was a unique experience in not only my life, but in the lives of everyone who participated. It is something that we will never forget. This project helped me discover my life’s profession: being a teacher.”
 
– Eliana da Silva

Read more about Swarovski’s engagement.
Or visit the Swarovski Waterschool Program.