Drought has been a big story in East Africa for the last year. Even in the cities, water is scarce. Rainy season started but has not filled the void. The rains have not hit all areas of East Africa, either.
On a recent trip, a photographer and I visited several places dealing with water problems - ranging from no water to no drinkable water.
We followed one woman as she gathered water out of the Tana River. The best way to describe the river is a mud hole. This is their normal drinking water. They use it for cooking, cleaning, for animals, etc. We went to this village to see a new water filter being used. The filter looks like a flower pot and fits inside a 20-gallon bucket. The women pour the muddy water into the "flower pot" and after a few hours, clean water (that you can actually see through) comes out. The filter has already made a difference in the rate of water-related health issues.
Further north, we hung out with a family for a few days and documented their troubles in finding water. The widow and her six children had to walk miles everyday to the hand dug well. They carried water back to their home and then started the process all over again.
While we were with this family, a BGR water project was finished up and we were able to see the difference having water nearby made with the family. BGR installed four tanks and
pipes from the bore hole. The day the water came to the tanks, there was a lot of celebration around the water.
The next day, since the women didn't have to walk so far to gather water -- it was like a holiday. The women dressed up and spent the morning dancing and singing and just having a
good time. Of course, most of their laughter was at us as we tried to dance and sing along with them!
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