Make a difference for moms and daughters in the village of Valle de la Cruz in Lempira, Honduras by donating funds to finish a much needed water project. Currently, women and girls have to walk miles each day carrying vessels on their heads to and from the nearest water source. Because of this responsibility, many girls cannot attend school. This event will allow the 853 residents of Valle de la Cruz to have guaranteed safe, clean water in their homes, and the ability to focus on education and economic opportunities.
Suggested donation per ticket: $25–Choice seats, $35–Prime seats.
For more information, email julie@metteer.com.
This 83-year-old resident of Ilamu Muja said, "I lived through four governments before I saw water flowing in this community. My only regret is that those who have passed did not live to see this day.”
If you missed previous entries, you can read about Day One and Day Two here.
On our final field day, we experienced what the construction of the water projects is like for our project participants, and we also visited Ilamu Muja, a project completed with the support of Water 1st donors in 2008.
Thank you to all twenty-one 2010 Water Tour participants for their adventurous spirits and their ability to connect with our friends in Oromia, Ethiopia. If you are interested in participating in the 2011 Water Tour, contact Kirk Anderson (206.297.3024, KirkAnderson@water1st.org). It’s an experience you will treasure more than you can imagine.
We do sell tickets at the door, but if you pre-pay on our website, you’re autmatically entered in a contest to win our famous, limited edition pint glasses!
Tickets are $35/person and include dinner, drinks, and live music by the ElecktraLytes.
The community of Kelcho Gerbi, Ethiopia meets with Water Tour members to discuss their problems with access to safe water supplies.
Here is our Facebook note with Day Two of our Water Tour adventure in Ethiopia. This time, we visited a community in need of water, Kelcho Gerbi. This is a community we have pledged to support in 2010, along with our Ethiopian partner Water Action.
We still need your help to bring safe water and toilets to every resident of this community. Please help by donating online now. Any amount will help us get closer to our goal.
Here’s an easy way to support Water 1st throughout the year simply by going to your favorite Seattle-area restaurants. Every time you dine at a participating Celebrated Chefs restaurant, 5% of the bill is donated to Water 1st by that restaurant.
There is no cost to you and once enrolled, you dine as you normally would – you don’t need to notify the waitstaff and no special card is required. When you pay your bill your registered credit card, and a 5% donation to Water 1st is automatic. You can learn more and register on the Celebrated Chefs website.
Celebrated Chefs supports Water 1st
Click “enroll now,” select “Water 1st International” from the list of nonprofits, and follow the easy instructions to enroll your credit card. The more you dine, the more people get clean water!
Azrati, a volunteer village hygiene promoter in Bishikiltu
This is the second post about our annual Ethiopia Water Tour.
The first update was posted while we were in Ethiopia, via Facebook. (Please note, although we’d love it if you became a Facebook fan of Water 1st, you do not need to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page - just click on the link.)
We continue the story here, with our first field day visit to the nearly completed project in the community of Bishikiltu, Ethiopia.
When her son Willie died, Mary was devastated. Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave and dressmaker for Mary Lincoln, said Mary “was an altered woman …. she never crossed the threshhold of the Guest’s Room in which he died, or the Green Room in which he was embalmed.”
The mothers we meet in poor countries today are no different from Mary Lincoln. But now we know that their grief is entirely preventable. The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of diarrhea cases are preventable through interventions to increase the availability of clean water, and to improve sanitation and hygiene.
Join us for the 5th Annual Water 1st – Beer 2nd Fun(d)raiser on Friday, March 5, 2010, at 7:00 pm, at the Lake Union Park Armory in Seattle. Serving water 1st, beer (or root beer) 2nd! Enjoy food, beverages, and tasty beers from some of Seattle’s premier breweries, plus a Hawaii vacation raffle. After a short Water 1st presentation, hit the dance floor with live music provided by The ElecktraLytes. RSVP Now!
Making a water project sustainable has many components. One of the primary concerns is the physical maintenance of the water pumps themselves.
This short film, shot in December 2009, shows the women of the water committee in Gangadarpur, India performing routine maintenance on their tubewell pump. They perform this maintenance every two weeks. This pump was constructed in 2006. It still operates perfectly, thanks in large part to the dedication of community members who keep it in good shape.
We are continuing our updates on our December trip to see our projects in India. Last week, we talked about Cyclone Aila recovery efforts. The region where we work in India was hit hard by the May 2009 Cyclone.
