-as part of efforts to make drinking water accessible to students, staff, visitors

THE University of Guyana Student Society, on Wednesday, launched its Water Dispenser Project, an initiative aimed at addressing water accessibility for students on campus, especially during late classes when there is little to no access to clean drinking water.

As UG welcomes new students, and continues to reintroduce face-to-face learning, access to water is essential for the health and wellness of the campus’ students.

Starting with three water dispensers, these will be strategically installed across campus to ensure that no student face water poverty while pursuing their tertiary education. Additionally, the dispensers will serve staff, students and anyone utilising the university’s facilities.

With support and collaboration from six UG clubs, the UGSS is promoting health and well-being, and showing what they can achieve when students and club members come together with a shared purpose.

Noting that this project was not thought up or accomplished overnight, the UGSS President, Tirishatha Semple, expressed a heartfelt thanks to each of the clubs that collaborated with the UGSS.

These are: the University of Guyana SEBI Students Club; University of Guyana Pharmacy Students Association; the University of Guyana Medical Laboratory Science Students Association; the University of Guyana Geographical Society and the University of Guyana Chemistry Club. She also mentioned Smart Solutions Services role in making this project a reality, and Pure Aqua Water, which will be donating bottles of purified water to the UGSS for the restocking of these unique dispensers.
Speaking more on this initiative, Semple said, “We have days sometimes where you don’t even have $200 to purchase a bottle of water, and as president you have to listen to the students, and you have to also act.”

She added that it occurred to her that, “Students might come, they might not have a bottle or even students might just want to take a bottle of water and go. So we ask for donations of water bottles with purified water which will be donated to UGSS on a monthly basis that we can keep restocking the fridge section of the water dispensers with bottled water.”

Semple explained that water is essential, basic, and should never be inaccessible. “That’s why this project matters. We’re not just putting in a dispenser, we’re putting students first and we’re not stopping there. We start at Turkeyen and we will also extend the project at Tain Campus,” she said.

Meanwhile, UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin, in her remarks commended UG’s student clubs for collaborating with the UGSS for the common good, and for starting such a project on a small scale where others would not have.

She said, “We start where we can start, and we build upon those small gains. So, the three I am sure, very soon, will grow to 25 and 30 and hundreds.”

Further, she acknowledged this effort by the UGSS President and the entire UGSS team and collaborators which ensures that future and present students have access to drinking water, saying, “It just shows a mindset of excellence and a mindset of growth that you don’t just go for things just for the sake of going for them.”
Recalling previous initiatives such as the creation of a business to provide water to students, and a project for anti-plastics, de-emphasising the use of plastics, and encouraging the use of reusable bottles, Professor Paloma affirmed that there is a double utility in this initiative, which allows students to either purchase water, or to use or reuse the plastic bottles, or other bottles, contributing to de-emphasisng the use of plastics. (Faith Greene)