My Dear People:

I really wanted to be there with you at the First Thirst Fund Raiser, especially to give you a warm welcome, but you were in the care of my magnanimous and effervescent partners, so I know you were well-loved and coddled, fed and attended to. Until the last second I was tempted to get a plane ticket and fly over there, but my mind kept telling me, that money you’ll spend on a plane ticket is enough to build a generator house for a deep well, so no matter how much you want to say hi in person and drink a fresh iron Hill Brewery Anvil Ale!

Why were you there – you’re were there because something grabbed you. Maybe it was the image of Mark coming after you and dragging you physically if you didn’t say yes? But for those of you who know what a marshmallow fluff heart he has under that tough guy exterior came because we all know what’s going on in the world, the way people struggle for the most basic things like water, food, medical care. We want to believe there’s a way to ease the burden. We want to be part of the solution. How can there be such a vast different in the way people are living? We live in the US, we know what’s possible, Electricity, water, schooling for everyone at bare minimum. But walking 28 km roundtrip in the hot sun for 40 liters of water? That’s what we can do something about. We must.

I visited Meshenani, a community on the edge of Amboseli National Park in Kenya and was with the women when they are arrived after their journey across the hot savannah to the water hole in the swamp. It was 11 am and they had started their walk with donkeys around 6:30 am. They rested, filled up, and turned around for the journey back, to arrive around 4, when they would start preparing food for their hungry kids. We have a mission. We are committed to helping people get a clean, reliable water source close to their homes.

Why don’t they move closer to the water, you ask? They lived closer to the water and were pushed away from it when the Kenyan government was forming Amboseli National Park, with the promise that water would be provided at their new home. A pump and pipe system was installed which delivered water for a time, but because of lack of maintenance and the breakdowns that come from neglect, it now provides water unreliably – maybe they;ll be water in pipes 3 or 4 days each month, and then’ it’s not enough that you could fill large storage tanks. Why doesn’t the government do what they promised, you ask. Good question! What we know is they haven’t and the community has been trying other solutions and praying. We can be the answer to their prayers.

We want to drill a deep well and pump that water up to the surface and fill a big tank and have the community manage this amazing resource into a hopefully much more comfortable future. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for opening your hearts and your wallets. Imagine the possibilities that can open up in someone’s life when they don’t have to struggle for everyday survival. They can eat, drink, go to school, keep clean, prevent diseases, run a small business with the time they no longer spend fetching water. They want choices. We all know how important having choices is.
They provide the freedom to live in a way where our human potential can be realized.

So I urge you in the days to come, as you eat and drink, pull these people in this place called Meshenani, Kenya, deep into your hearts and join us in imagining a better future for them. Your love, your donations can bring water, bring life to these people!

And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

May God Pour His Blessing To You,

Love, Joyce

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.