In the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, educational opportunities are often tied down by an army of daunting obstacles.
The cost of uniforms, books, and travel keeps thousands of children out of school and relegated to the sidelines of society. But one of the most difficult struggles to overcome is one that has stifled growth and progress for generations of Nepali school children—the astonishing scarcity of clean water and improved sanitation sources.
Principal Pradhimna Karki of Chalnakhel Primary School watched every year as class attendance steadily dropped, coinciding with the arrival of the rainy season . . . a time where water would seem to be the least of his worries.
But instead of bringing relief for the thirsty, the rainy season in the Valley triggers a significant decline in health and sanitation. Accumulating rain pools up in and around homes, schools, and businesses, becoming a hotbed for disease-carrying mosquitos, while at the same time washing sewage, debris, and other contaminants into local water-collection points. To make matters worse, the school itself was not equipped with a clean-water system and contributed greatly to the deteriorating health of its students.
The cycle was tragic: Children came to school sick, stayed sick, and remained out of the classroom for days—sometimes weeks—losing precious hours of investment for the future. Preventable ailments like tapeworms, diarrhea, and dysentery spread indiscriminately, crippling advancement and deterring enrollment. But things were about to change.
Today, because of the help of passionate supporters all across the country, every student at Chalnakel
School is smiling. By giving your gifts, your time, and your voice, 350 school children in Nepal now have a brand-new clean-water system installed right on their campus where clean water is flowing all day, every day.
Principal Karki is smiling too. He no longer has to worry constantly about the health of his students or the future of his school:
The impact that clean water can have means so much more than convenience, it means sustainable change for entire communities. This simple gift enables children in at-risk areas to take advantage of educational opportunities and to eventually break the cycle of poverty one generation at a time. It’s a beautiful transformation . . . a ripple that is started by someone who cares enough to get involved.
That’s where you come in. This summer, we’re challenging our supporters—old and new—to step up in a way you never have before.
For some of you, that may mean just educating yourself about the World Water Crisis and then sharing what you’ve learned with your social networks. For others, this summer is the perfect time to begin your mycause campaign to raise funds to provide clean water for an impoverished community. Or perhaps consider hosting your own clean-water event: car washes, yard sales, concerts, bikes, hikes, and pie-eating contests have summer fun written all over them. The only rule is to do what you do best. Be creative!
We hope stories like the one we’ve just shared will inspire you as we work to make this summer the best one yet—for us, but more important, for those around the world still waiting for the gift of clean water to arrive.
Will you be the ripple that makes the difference?
GIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER >>