Waiting For Water
Many people, especially in western countries, take for granted the resources that they have. People all around the world are without essential resources, most importantly water. An alarming 783 million people on our planet are without clean drinking water and almost 4 million people die each year from water related diseases. One organization is fixing this issue. “Charity : Water” is helping people like Helen Apio receive clean water. “Charity : Water” is doing a wonderful thing for people in need. Clean drinking water is a privilege that every person on earth should have, and thankfully there are organizations that want to fix this important issue.
Becky Straw, a worker for “Charity : Water” and writer of Will the Beautiful Women of the World Please Stand up, was in Northern Uganda driving down a rugged road when she came upon Helen Apio. Apio was one of the many people in Northern Uganda who had very little clean water available. She would wake up before dawn and walk almost a mile and a half with two five gallon Jerry Cans. She would walk to a school along with hundreds of other women. There was not enough water for the whole town, but Apios only other option was to take contaminated water from a pond near her home. Apio would often ask herself what to do with the ten gallons of water she gets for that day. She would ask herself, “Should I water my garden so we can grow food? Should I wash my children’s uniforms? Should I use it to cook a meal? Should we drink this water?” Her two children were often sent home from school because their uniforms were dirty. Apio would often feel shameful that they did not have enough clean water for everything they needed. There were four people in her family and so much they needed water for. At no time did Apio and her family have enough water to meet their needs.
The organization “Charity : Water,” founded by Scott Harrison, is helping people all over the world acquire a resource for clean water. While doing other charity work he fell in love with Liberia, and felt sympathetic for how the people and families lived with no electricity or fresh water. He started “Charity : Water” in 2006, and their group focuses on a need most people in Western countries do not need to worry about. They said, “1 in 10 people in our world doesn’t have access to the most basic of human needs.” To find a location that they can bring fresh water to, they look at the geography and assess how badly the people living there need it. Then, the staff members decide on how they will dig a well that can bring water to the community for many years. Hand dug wells, drilled wells, rainwater catchments, and water purification systems are some of the ways “Charity : Water” gets clean water to people in need. A plan is then make for local stakeholders to ensure the water keeps flowing long after the wells are installed. This organization specifically uses donations to bring wells and purifiers to communities in need, and they are always looking for more people to donate. “Charity : Water” truly cares about the wellbeing of people who do not have easy access to clean water, and they are doing everything they can to give as many people clean water as they are able to.
A growing issue in the world today is individuals having access to clean drinking water. Thankfully this issue is being noticed by many people and organizations. “Charity : Water” and many other organizations are working to help people like Helen Apio to gain access to clean water. Without these organizations, places like Liberia and other third world countries would still be struggling to live healthy lives. All the organizations that help provide communities with clean water are changing many lives for the better. Could you imagine going days without clean water?
Works Cited
"Facts and Statistics about Water and Its Effects." The Water Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
<https://thewaterproject.org/water_stats>
“Will the Beautiful Women of the World Please Stand up.” Charity : Water. Becky Straw, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.
2016.<http://www.charitywater.org/projects/stories/i-feel-beautiful-for-the-first-time/>
"Scott's Story." Scott's Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.<http://www.charitywater.org/about/scotts_story.php>