A Simple Plan: Clean Drinking Water Saves Lives
The hot sun is nearing the mid-day sky; morning recess begins at the Zarhuri Primary School north of Wamba. Groups of children carry recycled plastic jugs down a thorny patch to the dry river bed near the school. Older children have dug a hole to reach the muddy ground water. Quickly the children fill the jugs with this chocolate colored water. This is there morning refreshment. The water should be boiled before drinking, but often it is not. A drink of this liquid would be unimaginable to westerners, but it is an everyday activity for the children of the Samburu. However, even their strong immune systems can’t always fight off the deadly diseases found in this water.
Many of you know of my work in the Northwest Frontier of Kenya. The Lucy Project has been a small but successful effort to help young women better their lives through continued education. We have been steadily increasing our efforts since 2004. I am very excited about a new opportunity that will help many of the children of the area.
There is a way to harness the energy as they spin on an outdoor merry-go-round. The children push the merry-go-round again and again. As they run, a device in the ground beneath them begins to turn. With every rotation of the merry-go-round, water is pumped out of a well, up through a pipe, and into a tank high above the playground. A few feet away from all the fun, students turn on a tap. Clean, cold drinking water pours out. It’s a simple plan!