Meet Ruth. She is 46, incredibly shy and will receive her system in about 2 weeks. Today, she still walks 6 hours a day to collect water for her family. Each of her 4 children walks 4 hours a day for the water needed to sustain the 8 people living in her home. Three of her 4 children have been terribly sick with Typhoid. She lost one child to this illness 5 years ago. Ruth will be using the time normally spent walking for water by working on her farm and tending to her cattle to sell the excess food and milk at market. |
Meet Helena. She is 43 years old and is about to receive her system from the Women’s Water Initiative. Currently, she walks 4.5 hours per day to supply the 12 people living in her household with clean water. In the last year, all five of Helena’s children have suffered from Typhoid and Malaria. Once her system is built and she begins to harvest water, she will use the time regularly spent walking for water, growing more food to sell at the market and sewing clothes for others to repay her loan. |
Meet Elionora. She was elected to the village Water committee and is responsible to oversee the school farm. There are 14 people living in her home, 6 of whom are her children. Elionora knows she is incredibly lucky as all of her children have been healthy this month because she has learn to boil her water religiously. She is excited to receive her system within this coming month. With the time she will get back from having clean water at home, she too will focus on her garden and sell the excess crops to business in the nearest town. |
