-under project funded by ExxonMobil and partners
More than 8,400 students in Region Six are now benefiting from purified drinking water at their schools as Project FLOW expands its rollout across Guyana.
The initiative was officially commissioned on Friday at New Amsterdam Secondary School (Multilateral), with the Greater Guyana Initiative, Recover Guyana and the Ministry of Education partnering to install water purification systems in schools and other education facilities.
Project FLOW is expected to provide purified drinking water to more than 58,000 students across 141 public secondary schools, 10 TVET centres and four special education facilities by the end of 2029.
In Region Six, purification systems have already been installed at 17 secondary schools and two TVET institutions, benefiting 8,438 students and 1,164 teachers.
Education Minister Sonia Parag, delivering the feature address, said the expansion demonstrates the impact that partnerships can have when they are directed toward the needs of children.
“Good partnerships are important. Great partnerships are even more significant, especially when the benefits are for our children. This is one such project,” Parag said.
She encouraged students to see the facility as more than a source of chilled, potable water, saying it demonstrates how technology and infrastructure can be combined to support Guyana’s sustainability goals.
Parag also urged students to take responsibility for the facilities and act as good stewards of the environment.
Project FLOW was launched last year, with its rollout beginning in Region Three in May 2026. Fifteen purification systems were installed at schools there, benefiting approximately 9,000 students.
Head of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited Alistair Routledge said the company was pleased to partner with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders on the initiative.
“More important than the natural resources, the most important resource in a country are the young people and that is what this project is about,” Routledge said.
The project is funded through the Greater Guyana Initiative, a US$100 million development commitment by ExxonMobil Guyana, Hess and CNOOC aimed at supporting social and economic projects across Guyana.
Beyond providing access to purified drinking water, the project is also aimed at reducing plastic waste.
Each participating school is equipped with an integrated monitoring system that tracks the number of plastic bottles saved daily.
The programme estimates that approximately 25 million plastic bottles could be eliminated by the end of 2029 as students increasingly use the purification systems instead of purchasing bottled water.
Project FLOW is expected to continue expanding across Guyana as the Ministry of Education and its partners work toward the 2029 target.
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