Our World Water Day Challenge, Six Months In: What Does It Look Like to Go Deeper?
While I was in India in February, I was struck by the disparity in many of the villages we visited. Yes, they now had clean water wells, which truly made life better. But the needs that remained were stunning – and many of them were water-related.
For instance, I learned that while the women in these villages no longer had to walk to collect water, they were still walking miles to bathe in the river – and waiting until after dark to use the bathroom in the jungle. 😳In the jungle! In the dark! With snakes! Not to mention other predators.
(I can say from personal experience that this is unnerving... I, too, used the bathroom in the jungle, though not in the dark. I'm grateful that I did not see any slithery companions!)
Laying the foundation for one of the bathhouses. When the project is finished, each bathhouse will have locking doors, and the toilets will be connected to a septic system.
So on World Water Day, we committed to go deeper with the communities we serve - to go beyond basic wells, and meet other water needs as they arose. Over the past six months, we have worked to build combination toilet and bathing stalls with locking doors (!) in three villages in northwest India. While we have had setbacks (shipping delays, availability of building materials, and monsoons have all done their part to throw a wrench in the project), I’m excited that these facilities are finally coming together. And I’m most excited that these beautiful women will be able to care for themselves and their children without being afraid‼
