03 September 2012

WHO WILL HELP US?

'Wake up, Wake up!" It was time to get moving. Carol prayed for another minute of sleep but knew that it would take a miracle to get a second more. She knew that if she did not heed her mothers' wake up call the whole family would be in trouble that day. It was 4am in the morning and unlike other eleven year old girls turning over in bed she had to wake up to go fetch water for domestic use. She would accompany her mother and other village women and kids to the well every early morning so that they could fetch the precious commodity before the wild animals beat them to the game.
School was a long forgotten dream for the children in the village. As soon as they turned nine they would drop out of the village mission school to help their parents fend for their families. If only they had even a http://www.water4.org/simple-solution/ to take off the burden of growing up to early! Carol was soon on the track alongside her mother and others walking to the well. They walked in groups to be able to fend off the wild animals that they occasionally came across on their path. It was a miracle that they made it this far with so many people suffering snake bites from the numerous such reptiles that shared their paths. Just recently a neighbour had been mauled by a leopard he had woken from slumber in the bushes.
Soon the group was at the well. They lined up to fetch water as another group stood on watch for approaching wild animals.They carried stones to fend off any unwelcome competition from the animals. Since the group consisted of women and children, it was not uncommon to hear screams renting the early morning air when a particularly fierce wild animal crossed their way. Then there was the never ending competition with the wild animals for https://water4.org/how-to-help/. If nothing changed for the people in this village then they would continue spending most of their time in search of water.
The Government had sunk several boreholes in the are but they were very far apart. The catholic church too had contributed by by drilling several such water holes. But they were far from sufficient for the people who not only needed to quench their thirst but also that of their animals being from a pastoralist community. Many folks in the village considered themselves the people that God forgot, what with the myriad of problems that they faced. Almost every other week children mainly under five succumbed to death from lack of http://water4.org/complex-need/and instead taking water that was unfit for human consumption. Diarrhoe was a common ailment here and the community found it difficult to trek miles away to the local clinic for treatment. They only had time to go in search for the precious commodity-water.
Carol, alongside other children could only dream of the day that they would be able to go back to school. This might only happen if more Good Samaritans took pity on their plight by providing more water that was clean for use and more accesible. That way the children could be released to go to school instead of spending more time fetching water. The women would also make time to visit the local dispensary for treatment since it would no longer be necessary to make endless trips to the waterhole. A few people around the world understood their need to http://water4.org/how-to-help/ but if only more would understand the importance of having clean drinking water to the whole community as a whole!
Many people in my country have stagnated lives for lack of clean drinking water. Mainly in the arid and semi arid areas peoples' lives have stagnated for lack of water. The Government's efforts are not sufficient to reach all the people. If only God would touch several others to come forth and in the spirit of Christ facilitate Clean water to people the world over. What many take for granted in their homes is a precious commodity to people like Carol and many others. The availability of the commodity will open doors for such people to engage in other activities that will generate income for their families. In essence, giving water to the thirsty people of the world is like giving them a second lease of life. 'Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.'