The little doctor
This World Water Day, meet the nine-year-old 'little doctor' transforming lives through the simple power of clean water and education.
Nine-year-old Marva* lives in a small village in eastern Indonesia, where her days are usually filled with reading stories, helping her mum with household chores, and taking the family’s buffalo to graze. But there’s one role she treasures more than any other: being a ‘little doctor’ at her school – where she’s responsible for teaching her classmates how to wash their hands properly and stay healthy.
Long walks and limited water
Only a short time ago, life looked very different for Marva and her family. Each morning before sunrise, her mother, Monika*, would begin the long and exhausting trek to collect water. The journey meant hiking over uneven mountain paths and carrying a heavy container under the beating sun.
“We had to walk some kilometres whilst carrying water on our heads,” Monika remembers. Those walks consumed hours that could have been spent resting, working, or caring for her children.
The region’s worsening drought—intensified each year by the effects of climate change—only tightened the strain. For families like Marva’s, dwindling water sources meant they couldn’t wash their hands regularly, clean cooking tools properly, or maintain a hygienic household. As safe water became scarcer, sickness spread more easily. Malnutrition rates rose, especially among young children. Everyday life was defined by uncertainty.
A turning point
Thanks to people like you, everything changed when Save the Children’s water, sanitation, and hygiene project reached Marva’s community. Through new water facilities and improved sanitation infrastructure, clean water now flows directly into the yard outside Marva’s home.
The impact was immediate: no more dawn treks or heavy containers balanced on tired shoulders. With water close at hand, families finally had the tools to keep their households clean and healthy.
But for Marva, the biggest transformation came through learning – and sharing – better hygiene practices.
Marva washes her hands at the new tap in her family’s yard.
The little doctor
As part of her school training, Marva learned not just what to do, but why it matters. Now, she confidently teaches others:
“First, wet hands with clean water and apply soap, rub the back of the hand, rub between the fingers, clean the back of the fingers, the thumbs and fingertips, then rinse until clean with water,” she recites from memory.
She teaches her classmates to wash their hands after touching animals, before meals, after playing, and after using the toilet, as well as the importance of washing vegetables properly before cooking.
Marva knows how important it is to ensure food is cleaned before being eaten.
Marva’s friends describe her as cheerful and helpful. Her mum, Monika, calls her “a strong‑willed girl.” And Marva already knows exactly what she wants for her future:
“My dream is to be an elementary school teacher,” she says. Each time she teaches someone in her community how to stay healthy, Marva takes another step toward that dream – a step made possible by something as simple and as powerful as clean water.
*Names changed to protect identities.
Photos: Berlian/Save the Children.