This month of November reminds me to be thankful. There are so many things that we take for granted in our everyday lives like shelter, electricity, food, health care, transportation, and especially WATER!
On a trip to Guatemala, with my organization Global Partners Running Water, I experienced a whole different view, especially about the availability of WATER.
In most of the mountainous small communities, there is NO ACCESS to running water. The people, mostly women, need to walk daily for miles to access any water at all. The water they bring home is often polluted. As a result, this water creates health issues for their whole family, especially the children. This disrupts their school attendance as well. The government does not provide any water support for these remote villages.
To our delight, we visited a village that had just finished receiving their gravity fed water sinks/faucets directly to their homes! We joined them in a big, joyful celebration! Global Partners Running Waters funds the payment for the pipes (locally purchased) and other supplies needed. In order to receive our help, the village has to agree to do all the work of laying the pipes, construct a holding tank, and make any repairs after the project is finished. The water project is organized and developed by our local Engineer Jorge. You will see him in the pictures of many of the projects completed which are posted on our website.
As you are thankful on these NOVEMBER days, and realize that we have such easy access to water, I hope you will think about contributing to our next water project. You’ll find information and can contribute on our website.
Thank you,
GPRW Board Member, Joyce DeCleene