a world away...

My daughter and I will sometimes talk about the World Vision child that we sponsor as a family. Her name is Robin* and she lives in Uganda. She's in the fifth grade. She loves her friends and learning things at school.

On the surface, it seems Robin and my daughter have a lot in common. With the only exception being that Robin is a bit older and lives in Africa. But when we look at a few of the things that separate them, stark differences surface - one that becomes apparent rather quickly is access to clean water.

My daughter can have great water for drinking/cleaning/brushing her teeth whenever she wants. It's brought into our home - she just has to turn the faucet. That's it. My daughter's chores include cleaning up her toys, keeping her room clean and helping fold laundry (sometimes). Robin's chores are much bigger and include hauling water for her family. And that's just how things are there. She doesn't have a faucet to turn on. She doesn't have plumbing. No one there does. So she fetches water so that the rest of the chores in her house can happen. Washing clothes, dishes and people. Not to mention, drinking and cooking.

The thought of my daughter walking through a village to bring back jugs of water is not a pleasant thought for me. It feels heavy and unsafe. I don't like to think about it. And I don't really like thinking about Robin doing that either. I know that the miles I run and the dollars I raise for clean water projects in Africa make a real and tangible difference in the lives of girls like Robin. Their quests for clean water don't necessarily end, but they can become safer. Shorter distances, in public areas with truly clean water as the prize. If Robin can more time going to school than trekking with heavy buckets for her family, then we've all done her a great service and as she learns and loves and grows, her entire world will benefit.

Thank you for supporting me as I work to make a difference for girls like Robin.

*Name changed for privacy. Not that I think you know all the 5th grade girls in Uganda or anything - but seriously - it just felt skeevy to put all her personal deets out here on the world wide web.