It is early in the day and I have already lost count of how many times I have needed to use water. I have so far needed water to brush my teeth, bathe, prepare breakfast, drink coffee, and quench my thirst. With the various tasks that make up my morning routine, I hardly ever stop to think, “Is this water safe to consume?”

I don’t question if there will be enough water to fill my cup. I don’t have to travel a long distance to access my water, and I never wonder if my short walk to the tap will be dangerous.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.
Matthew 10:42

Refreshing.

For a hike in the mountains, we always take water.  The Mad Creek Trail in Colorado is a lovely, well maintained trail, mostly level, and partly in shade.  There are no large loose rocks to turn your ankles, no rivers to cross.  Wildlife are rarely seen mid-day when most people make the hike, and we saw only healthy dogs of all shapes and breeds bounding along with their owners.  We walked a total of four and a half miles in almost three hours, exhausting our out-of-shape bodies.

“Water has given me hope. I’m a strong woman. Thanks to World Vision and clean water, there are a lot of strong women here.”

Esperance, a Rwandan mother, hasn’t always been able to say this. As one of the 785 million people around the world without clean water access, she struggled to improve every aspect of her life.

“Imagine the sweltering heat in this Kerio Valley, all the sweating, and then there is no water to take a bath as you go to class as a teacher, it is very pathetic,” explains Nancy Chebii, a school teacher at Ayatya Primary school, in the Bartabwa Area program.

Nancy shared her story as we sat in the shade of an acacia tree talking with the area water committee. It is almost noon and it is already very hot due to the scorching heat that the area is known for.

Beautiful red flowers and green trees line the path leading to the home of Mrs. Xiomara Zelaya. An attractive flower garden adorns her home. It wasn’t always like this. Having a garden wasn't possible a year ago.

“It was hard waking up each day at 4:00 am to go outside in the dark and try and find water in the little creek,” says Xiomara. Each day she faced a two kilometer walk in search for water. During the hot summer months, the creek would dry up and it took much longer to find water.

‘‘A big scar on my knee carries my old memories,’’ says Ayal Melaku. She remembers the day it happened. While walking back home carrying a clay pot of dirty water that was 20 liters (44 pounds), Ayal fell and injured herself. ‘‘I sustained an injury on my left knee that bled and swelled slowly. It prevented me from walking to school and I missed class for 15 days in a row,’’ she says.

Ayal lives in Robit village in the Ambassel district, 290 miles north of Ethiopia’s capital. She is the third of seven children and as a young girl, helped her mother with household chores.

Ales remembers collecting cassava from the stagnant pools of muddy water. For Ales Nyasulu, who lives in the Chikwina-Mpamba Area Program in Malawi, cassava is a primary source of food for her family. “We depend on cassava as our staple food in this community. The process of coming up with cassava flour demands that we soak the cassava in water for some days before it is dried up and ready for pounding,” she says. “Since we had no source of potable water, we had to depend on swamps or dirty pools of water along the valleys,” says Ales.

On February 12, 2020, Dave and Dana Dornsife announced a $40 million investment in World Vision’s water, sanitation and hygiene program in 24 African countries. This brings their total investment in World Vision to $115 million, following an investment of $35 million in 2011 and $40 million in 2016. Their contributions have all been focused on World Vision’s water programs, making them the leading family in the world investing in providing clean water access.

Grandson Brian at the new tippy-tap

When Florence got married in the 1980’s, her new home didn’t have a latrine. Though she had come from a home with one, she never asked her husband about it. For over 30 years, Florence, now 73, lived without a latrine in her home. Her family suffered a life of constant diarrhea and vomiting. The community in which they settled didn’t do much to help change their mindset, as most homes also didn’t have latrines.

Early last year, World Vision shared its Community-Led Total Sanitation model (CLTS), inspiring the members of Kamiga Village in the Nakasongola district to reflect on their health situation.

Alemnesh (L) and Yeshiwas enjoy time they have at the well site

“Praise God, for now I have time for myself. Fetching water is no more a burden, rather, a time break I get from the house chores and have a little chat with my neighborhood friends. We rest for a while, talk experiences, laugh and share ideas. A walk for clean water has transformed my life,” says Alemnesh.

Alemnesh Fente, 30, lives in the rural village of the Yilmana Densa district where World Vision has an area program office. Before World Vision arrived, there was a big need for water in this vulnerable community.