Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Think Water

Congolese mothers are responsible for the children and house chores.  But don't forget the water jug or water.

Health professional and survivalist say you can longer without food than you without water.  We need water to sustain us.  So, it's availability is important.

Most of us don't have to worry about water.  Most of us don't even think about water in advance.  We know it is always going to be there.  BUT for a Congolese mother and her family, water is something they think about daily.  They spend hours each day to get it.   

Rural Water Wells Are THE ANSWER

Water is essential for health, education, and development.  Water is the enabler for better health.  Water is the enabler for girls education and women equality.  Water is the enabler for sustainable development.

Water is nature's gift.  Congo has an abundance of water.  But water is not equally distributed.  Water is the hidden gift, too.

In rural Congo, rural water wells are needed.  We need to make water available to everyone.  We need to let water be all it can be to everyone.

A Deadly History Today

Congo is stuck in the 1890's.  If you read history or fictional accounts of Congo, lots of those things have not changed.

Malaria is still a big killer of people.  You could easily die from the disease with chills and fevers added for effect. 

Water is still not available everywhere.  You could be required to get water from a stream or a watering hole.

Food is still not readily available everywhere.  You could easily starve to death.

Of course, rural Congolese live that way everyday.  Step back into a deadly history today.

Surviving Without Water

 

You probably have heard stories of family living without utilities (water or electricity).  We wonder how they survive.  We pity the family.

In rural Congo, almost all families live without water and electricity.  Let's explore the situation with no water.  Do you wonder how they survive?  Well, many do not survive.  They die from water-borne disease and sicknesses.  Do you pity them? 

Do something about it!  Visit Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo on Facebook.

Water Is A Valuable

You lock up your valuables.  You have locks for your car.  You have locks for your house.  Businesses lock up their assets and resources, too.  They have cash, computers, vehicles, and other things used in their business.

The Bulape Hospital locks up its water.  That is, underground cisterns used to store water are locked.  They are locked to prevent unauthorized access and theft.

Water is a valuable.

Water Is More Than Health

Water is life!  Water is more than life or more than about health.  Also, water is about education.  Water's connection to education is noted below.

And, water is about development and agriculture.  Water touches our lives on every level.  The lack of access to water in Congo hinders human development.  Poor Congolese will always live in poverty until they have access to water.

If there is a silver bullet that will end extreme poverty, I think water comes closest to the target.

Children Should Carry Books, Not Water - What's Woody Doing Now.

Press Release, Water Advocates, John Sauer, October 13, 2010.

Even for those children that have the opportunity to go to school, students lose 443 million school days each year due to diseases associated with the lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Repeated episodes of diarrhea and worm infestations diminish a child’s ability to learn and impair cognitive development. This problem is exacerbated by the more than half of all schools in developing countries that lack adequate WASH facilities.

 

An Army of Children Ants

A five-gallon jar of water weighs over 40 pounds.  Can you lift a full water jar onto your head and walk up a hill back about 3 miles to your house?  You could if you are a little boy or girl in rural Congo.  In many cases, a full water jar could weigh as much as the little boy or girl.

In Bulape, the people are fortunate to have clean safe water.  But it is about 3 miles away.  Therefore, a steady line of children, like an army of human ants, make their way to and from the water source.

You have probably seen ants at work.  They carry food and other stuff which easily equals their body weigh.  It's just like Congolese children.  A drilled water well in the village would stop the army of ants.  Then they could use the time to study or other productive chores.

Here's a question, is white jar full or empty?  Or is he going to get water or is he coming back with water?

 

An Army of Children Ants

A five-gallon jar of water weighs over 40 pounds.  Can you lift a full water jar onto your head and walk up a hill back about 3 miles to your house?  You could if you are a little boy or girl in rural Congo.  In many cases, a full water jar could weigh as much as the little boy or girl.

In Bulape, the people are fortunate to have clean safe water.  But it is about 3 miles away.  Therefore, a steady line of children, like an army of human ants, make their way to and from the water source.

You have probably seen ants at work.  They carry food and other stuff which easily equals their body weigh.  It's just like Congolese children.  A drilled water well in the village would stop the army of ants.  Then they could use the time to study or other productive chores.

Here's a question, is white jar full or empty?  Or is he going to get water or is he coming back with water?

 

From A Water Faucet

Where do you get your water from?  No, I am not talking about a case of bottled water.  I am talking about your water for cooking or washing your clothes.  Yes, it comes from a faucet in your house.  And you may even know that water comes a municipal water well or plant.

In rural Congo, there no stores to buy bottled water.  There are no water faucets in your house.  And there are no muncipal water wells or plants.  You would send a child down to the village water source.  They would carry a large five-gallon jug or tub.  They would walk about 2-3 miles from their house to the water source.  And that water source would probably be a creek, river, or spring.

Next year, Congo Helping Hands will start drilling water wells.  Then rural Congolese can go to a village water faucet. 

I am ready to drill some holes for water.

Help Provide Safe Water

 
Water is an important commodity to the life of a village.  The resident needs water for drinking and for preparing food.   Also, farmer need water for crops.

Water is so important, it affects over human development beyond the obvious health issues.  Access to water can also improve educational opportunity for girls.  And water can improve business opportunity for women.

The problem with water is not limited to the Congo.  Most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa have a similar problem of water.  That's why it is a target area under Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #7.

Help provide safe water and sanitation to 100 million people, call your Congress-person (House of Representative), and urge them to support immediate House passage of the just-passed Water for the World Act, (Bill # S. 624).