Every mom worries.
She worries her child will get sick or make bad choices.
She worries she’s not doing what’s best for her child.
Even when things are going well, moms still worry for their children.
They will do whatever they can to keep their children safe and healthy. But for some moms, keeping their children safe and healthy isn’t even a possibility.
Edith is a 24-year-old mother of 7-month-old twins. She adores them, and she takes her job as a wife and a mother very seriously. But for a long time, she wasn’t able to give them the care she knew they needed.
Edith lives in a village in Kenya and had to walk more than four miles just to find a water source. And one trip was never enough. The water she brought home had to care for her immediate family and her extended family of 10 people.
Even worse, the water Edith found was rarely clean or safe. Many in her family were constantly sick from waterborne diseases.
Edith spent hours each day fetching water instead of spending time with her babies or continuing her education.
The young mom worried about her babies getting a life-threatening illness from the bacteria in the water. She worried about them not having the love and attention she wanted to give them. But there was nothing she could do. Her family had to have water.
Then people on the other side of the world made a choice that transformed Edith’s life forever. They provided a well for her village.
That well changed everything.
Now Edith has more time and energy, and she’s using it to grow a garden to feed her family and build an income. She and her family are healthier, and they don’t have to worry about water making them sick. Best of all, Edith is spending more time playing and laughing with her children.
While Edith still might worry about her children from time to time, she doesn’t have to worry that the water she’s giving them will make them sick. And she can be sure that her babies will grow up with their mom by their side since she no longer spends hours fetching water.
For someone like Edith, water is a chance at a whole new life. And there are a lot of people like Edith. One out of every 10 people around the world doesn’t have access to clean water.
Dirty water kills more people every year than war. Long walks to the nearest pond or stream rob children of time that could be spent in the classroom. Women are attacked on their way to water sources. And productivity decreases because of time spent gathering water.
But when a mother like Edith — who has been without clean water — receives it, she also gets the gift of new hope. She is able to have more economic independence. Her children can get a good education. And her family can stay healthy as they strive for greater goals.
Edith can tell you that the gift of water is more than just something to drink. For her, clean water is a chance at a better life. It’s a chance to spend more time with those who matter most. And it’s a chance to worry less and smile more.
Edith is like any other mom. She worries about her kids sometimes. But she knows now that she’ll never have to worry about water again.
Click below to learn more about the effect of clean water and how you can help someone like Edith.