Along with being a popular tourist spot, Punta Cana is home to some of the most famous beaches in the world. On October 19^th and 20^th, one of these beaches served as the location for a community event to celebrate the launch of the latest WASH Education programming in the Dominican Republic. The event included a beach volleyball tournament involving local hotels, community leaders, and students with a beach cleanup the following day. The event raised awareness of the need for access to clean water, adequate sanitation, and good hygiene in the Bavaro community, while promoting community involvement in the program.

The WASH Education program is currently serving 1,947 students across four primary schools in Punta Cana. Along with weekly lessons on health and hygiene, students will be receiving volleyball lessons. As a brand new component to be included in The WASH Foundation’s WASH programming, the use of sports is an exciting way to incorporate education and demonstrate the link between handwashing and other activities.

To celebrate the launch of the WASH Education program in the Dominican Republic, the community event included fun games and an engaging beach cleanup that resulted in the collection of almost 2,000 pounds of trash. For more information on this dynamic event and our WASH programs, check out the video recap and press release below.