Clean water is something that comes up in our house a lot. When Dylan and Ella were young, our church started a clean water initiative to help the people of Masaka, Rwanda, and it seemed like a good way to get the kids involved in something bigger than our little life in the American suburbs. One of the ways we do this is by walking with our church community (and others) each spring.
Our little fundraisers filled out the postcards themselves this year, sending them out to their Nana's, Papa's, and Pa's, and their aunts and uncles too. Mommy helped out by sharing the cause on her Facebook page. Together, our family was able to raise over $500. ($20 creates access to clean water for one person for up to 10 years; $100 buys a SAM 3 filter which can serve up to 5 people.)
The day we walked was blissfully warm and sunny (which is not in the tradition of Michigan springs and past Walk for Water's which are usually cold and wet).
And we're off!
Mady and her BFF Abby are quite inseparable these days, even in their quest for social justice.
I love everything about this day - a church community, old and young, big and little, human and canine - joining together for something larger than ourselves.
I walked hand in hand most of the way with our sweet Ella. She's been praying for the kids who need clean water since she was old enough to talk.
At the halfway point of the walk, we stop to fill up our containers with dirty water to symbolize the walk many women and children make daily in parts of the world. Imagining drinking this muddy water, floaties and all, really drives the point home.
We then carry our heavy jugs back to the park where we started and run some through a filtration system -- the technology is amazing.
Until next year!
{The Dirty Truth: 1 in 8 people lack access to clean water. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. Dirty water kills more people than all forms of violence including war. Want to help? Give here.}
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