As a child, I remember growing up and spending my weekends at my Grandparents farm just north of Tuelon on Highway 229 in Komarno, Manitoba in the Interlake. (Did you know "Komarno" means mosquito in Ukrainian?) Anyway, there was only one building on the farm with plumbing and a tap for water. So my older brother and younger sister often had to make multiple trips from the house to the cabin helping each other carry 3/4-filled 5 gallon pails.
Now, this walk was not far. I'm talking maybe 500 feet round trip.
But that isn't the case for many people in the world who are walking for their water, for hours, every day. The following article is written by Tyler Riewer from charity:water and puts things in perspective of how incredibly fortunate we are in Manitoba with our abundant supply of fresh, clean water.
"It’s hard to fathom. The idea of waking up before sunrise every morning and spending hours walking just to find a water source. Standing in line to access a muddy hole in the ground that you share with both your neighbors and their livestock. Carrying 40 pounds of dirty water all the way home on your back and then serving it to the people you love most. Constantly suffering from stomach pain and diarrhea. Losing children to water-related diseases.
It’s a world most of us don’t know. And yet, it’s the reality for 748 million people around the world—748 million! That’s nearly 10 percent of everyone living on this planet.
You and I got lucky. We’re the other 90 percent. We happened to be born in places where we’ve never had to worry about finding water or deal with the fear that our water might affect the health of our families.
But that doesn’t mean their stories can’t impact us.
Over the past two years, I’ve visited eight countries that were in need of clean water. I’ve camped in rural communities, shared meals inside people’s homes, and met some of the most courageous, driven, and inspiring people I’ve ever known.
I’d like to tell you three of the stories that stuck with me most..."
To read Tyler's three powerful stories, please visit the full article here.