Water

There isn’t anything we take for granted like water. Turn on a tap, flush a toilet, buy a bottle, walk to a drinking fountain: it is so easy, so simple, we don’t even notice it. Thirst is not an issue. Showers are not an issue. Cooking is not an issue. Unfortunately, these things are not true for everyone. I recently had my eyes opened to the hardship that follows when water is tough to come by. After a lecture on water supply and sanitation and a tour of the water sources around our area, we hopped into a car and drove to another region to study their water. We pulled up to the bottom of a hill so long and steep, the van we were in could not drive up. At the bottom of the hill was a protected well. This is the dry season, so water ran from it very slowly, trickling out.

The village that lived at the top of this enormous hill would walk down, wait in line, fill up their containers, and hike back up to their home. We started the long walk to the village. The first couple minutes were fine, but as the mountain got steeper and steeper my breathing intensified. I could not imagine hiking it carrying gallons of water: I didn’t have so much as a backpack on and I didn’t think I was going to make it. After finally reaching the top, we walked to a house that KIHEFO students and volunteers had built a water tank for. Water runs from a tin roof into a gutter, which drains into a giant water tank and provides water for a family all year long, without the need to trek up and down the mountain every single day. The elderly man who had been gifted the tank was so incredibly grateful, and so excited to show us exactly how it worked.

We next visited a family whose tank was built a mere two weeks ago. They are already reaping the benefits. Their injured elderly father no longer has to go down and fetch water, coming up with a container in one hand and a cane to help him walk in the other. The children can go to school because they no longer spend hours getting water. The mother can care for and clean her baby, and cook with water that is safe for her kids. This family’s life was completely changed by one water tank. These kids had a future handed to them because they can now go to school, and all it took was access to water.

 On our way out, I saw a family with children who were not so fortunate. It had clearly been ages since these kids had bathed- they were covered in dirt from head to toe. What saddened me the most was when I noticed the flies that covered them, crawling on their lips and on their eyes. They were so used to it that they didn’t even feel them, or just didn’t bother to swat them away. It broke my heart to see these children suffering.

Water makes such a huge difference in disease and sanitation. Something as simple as personal hygiene can be the difference between life and death in areas like this. As we hiked back down the hill, I reflected on how many blessings I was born with that others were not. As a result of today, I aspire to be more grateful for what I have, and try not to take things like water for granted.