I read an interesting article today by Craig and Marc Kielburger in the Globe and Mail. The two brothers have been social activists since they were 12 years old, co-founders of Save the Children and were the ones that came up with the “Me to We” campaign. Every elementary school I know of has a “Me to We” committee that talks about ways kids can build community in their school.
Their goal is to build 200 schools worldwide and have been doing so for 18 years. In the article they describe some of the challenges of addressing poverty in the developing world. They write
when we first started building schools 18 years ago, we returned to visit to find half the desks unoccupied. Hopeful faces we remembered from the grand opening were missing. We’d ask why they weren’t in class. In one place, children were out sick with typhoid. In another, the nearest well was a three-hour walk away so the girls spent their daylight hours walking to fetch water.
Schools are necessary – and a great first step according to Kielburger – but something as simple as drinking water puts resources like schools in jeopardy. Kids can’t go to school if they are sick, or if they are being employed in supporting the family by getting water. That is why the ministry of Living Water International is so important.
Living Water drills wells in Africa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Latin America and supports the work of World Vision, Compassion International and others. Studies have shown that wells drilled near schools increase attendance, since the children spend less time carrying water they can spend more time in school. They bring the water home with them at the end of the school day.
I am joining a mission team from Tintern next March on a trip with Living Water International to drill a well in rural Guatemala. Please watch the video below. You can click the button below if you wish to give toward our trip.
Please give. Thanks.
ephesians2eight 
Most Americans don’t boil our water unless there is a water main break, flood or puiblc announcement by the government. Our water supplier is supposed to notify us if our water doesn’t meet EPA or state standards or if there is a waterborne disease emergency. If we know all the contaminants in our water these days, we should take more precaution. Yeah, I agree, purifier + boiling is the best way to go! (I heard boiling alone doesn’t get rid of all the chemicals and metals in tap water)exile
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