All You Need Is Love

Australian consumers have just spend $908.7 million this Valentine’s Day.  It averages out that people spend about $40 per person on chocolates, dinner out, jewelery or of course – flowers.

Unfortunately, most of these items will have disappeared by now.

In 1967 John Lennon wrote the song ‘All you need is love’ but what really is love? It certainly is a verb and not a noun – that means it’s an action. I get lots of people saying what great work we do, many who ‘like’ us on Facebook, subscribe to our newsletter but trying to get money out of people is a whole other story.

Australians have been known for their generosity but generally it is in the form of giving of physical gifts rather than monetary ones. Charities across the board have seen a 50% decline in their financial donations over the last 18 months. As someone who works in this field it is very frustrating and yet spurs you on to keep going. Why – because I know the results are so worth it.

This week I put together a short video for a grant and the one thing I did say in it is that it could’ve been one of my kids or one of my relatives that was the one who was lugging 25kg’s of water for hours a day.  I’m one of the few privileged to see the faces of the kids, men and women whose lives have been changed by now having access to safe clean drinking water.

We started BeyondWater because we love people and want them to have the best life possible. This continues and will continue to be our motivation.

If love is an action word, there is a lot more work yet to be done.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none – William Shakespeare

The Price of a Child

I’ve just read an article that states that at least 30 – 50% of those who work in gold mines in Africa are under the age of 18. It got me started thinking about what the value of a child is and found some rather shocking facts:

1. Once formally put to work, human trafficking victims can be forced to service from 40 to 110 customers in one day.

2. 20 million people are enslaved as bonded labourers around the world.

3. The International Labour Organisation estimates that 179 million of the world’s children, or 1 in every 8, aged between 5 and 17 are in the worst forms of child labour.

4. There are about 300,000 child soldiers in over 30 areas of conflict worldwide, some are as young as 10-years old.

5. At least 20 per cent of the estimated 15,000-20,000 people who are killed or disabled each year by landmines are children.

6. 5,000 children die each day because they don’t have access to clean drinking water.

 

While the problem can seem overwhelming there is some great organisations who are working at a grassroots level, right where the need is. Sure, it’s important to change government policies but until then we need to be right where the action is. Without the generous support of donors there’s no way that people could bring about change. Change is not cheap and it is not free.

Freedom for any person but especially a child is worth the price we are willing to pay. Whether to free them from human trafficking, war, poverty or no water, freedom is a choice we can give to others.

The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running for Life

Life in the city is just crazy!! Traffic is building up and it seems to take forever to get anywhere. So much is on, we have to book in coffee time with friends rather than just dropping by.

 

Some of us are taking time out this year from the busyness of life and hitting the pavement in an effort to give people a new start in life. This year we’re focusing on giving access to clean water to both hospitals and schools. Our biggest project yet is going to be the Busabala Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Below you’ll see the youth group of the area trying to clean up the local water supply right next to the hospital. It’s impossible to keep clean especially with the rubbish that flows down from the nearby neighbourhood when it rains.

Cleaning Waterway

 

A few brave souls are training for the annual SunRun to kick off the year and get this area looking like this:

Site Plans

Why do we run – because it’s a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air, shake off all the expectations of life and do something good for the day. By 8am on Feb 4th it will all be over and our goal of helping this community will be well on it’s way.

 

You don’t have to run to be a part of something incredible – http://www.gofundraise.com.au/page/Runningwater

A New Start

The cool thing about the beginning of the year is that we get a fresh start to make this one much better than the last one. Saying you’re going to make a ‘new month resolution’ sounds downright silly but when it comes to January 1 people are ever keen to make a new years’ resolution list.

 

At BeyondWater we’re just going to keep on keeping on. No big surprises, exaggerated promises or saying stuff we’re not going to keep to.

 

So this is what we’re going to do this year:

 

-       100% of donations to projects will go towards projects

-       Solely concentrate on schools and medical facilities

-       Take another team to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds

-       Create several fundraising opportunities across Australia

-       Work hard, get results

 

That’s it. We’re using the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory. There won’t be any flashy lights, bells or whistles, just a simple plan to change as many lives as possible.

 

Check out our website for more of some of the amazing projects we are going to support this year – www.beyondwater.org.au

 

All About The Kids

Use What You’ve Got

Today I was talking to someone, who along with another 20 something year old has built a school for underprivileged kids in Uganda. They are amazing to take on a lifelong challenge of delivering quality education to hundreds of children. It’s nice to sit down and share the joys and struggles that little organisations all have. We’re always trying to find new and inventive ways of raising funds to make a real difference in the lives of young people.

Today we launched our Athletes in Action program. This is where anyone, no matter what age can enter a fun run, kayak race, triathlon or any other community event. BeyondWater will pay the entry fee and the entrant commits to raising at least twice that, which goes to projects. If they don’t manage to raise that, then they pay BeyondWater back. We’ve listed all the events that are happening in NSW. ACT, VIC and QLD but if people find more all they have to do is contact the office to organise.

Taking on a personal challenge gives you a good feeling of contributing and it’s an easy way to help raise money. For me this coming year I’m entering a half marathon, which is 22km’s, I’ll be nearly 44 years old. Now that’s a challenge!

Check out the new page on our website – http://www.beyondwater.org.au/#/athletes-in-action/4558136433

A Real Bet

Last week the nation stopped while the Melbourne Cup went ahead. We spent $183 million on that day and Aussies bet another $55 million. The day has been and gone and what do we have to show for it? Sure, it may have been lots of fun but really, is it the best way we can spend that kind of money? Below is a photo I took in Ghana which was a version of the Powerball.

One million dollars would help 50,000 people not just once, but every day for 20 years. That’s right, $20 gives one person safe clean drinking water for 20 years.

I think the biggest thing we struggle with is the concept that people just don’t have water – at all. The thought of people walking for hours a day just to get water is such a foreign concept that it really is too much to comprehend.

 

So forget that, just think how easy it is to give $20 and how it can improve someones life. It’s the best bet you’ll make.

Sign in Ghana

 

What is a smile worth?

Going through thousands of photos taken over an 8 week trip to East Africa takes weeks. I am still amazed on what my battered old Canon 30D can handle. Going up to Kilimanjaro where it’s -15 degrees (Celsius) it managed to survive quite well. My husband Pete broke his leg when he caught his foot on a rock somersaulted over his walking poles and came down on the bag with the camera in it, but it still didn’t break.

Pete on Kilimanjaro

It’s been said that a photo is worth a thousand words. To me, it says so much more and yet not enough. Probably my most favourite photos are the one below. We had just been to visit a deep bore well in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Although it was primarily for an orphanage and soon to be built school, the whole community could use it. Along came a few kids who should’ve been in school but didn’t have the money for fees. Instead, it was up to them to collect water for their families.

It doesn’t seem much to us when we can simply turn on the tap. The reason these kids were happy is that they no longer have to walk 7km’s to collect a container of water, only a couple of hundred metres. Giving water is worth everything, even just a smile.

Pete on Kilimanjaro

Remember the Faces

We hear about famine in Somalia, know that there are millions who live below the poverty line, but let’s be honest, they’re just people in a far away land that just have it tough.

It’s easy to forget that these are people – men, women and children who have dreams, hopes, the desire to grow up and get a job so they can look after their family. One of the best things I get to do in my job is to travel to East Africa and meet some of the people whose lives are changed simply because they now have access to clean drinking water.

One of them is a 4 year old girl who has the job of collecting all the water for her family in Gulu, Northern Uganda. She’s at the right of this photo.

From the age of 2 she has learned to do this every day, twice a day. Before we were able to provide something closer to home, she had to walk 5 kilometres to the nearest borehole. Remember, she is only 4 years old. Now it is a matter of mere metres for her. Soon she will be able to attend school because her parents are able to get enough water to keep their crops healthy. She won’t have to worry about being thirsty, or having to skip school just to do this task.

In the next 12 months we want to transform the lives of hundreds of children by giving them access to clean drinking water. With your help we need to raise $100,000. It’s a lot of money, but it’s possible. $20 gives a person clean, safe drinking water for 20 years. It’s probably one of the best investments you can make – into the life of another person.

http://www.gofundraise.com.au/CharityDetail.aspx?cid=277

Keep Girls in School

The number one reason girls don’t continue on with their education once they reach puberty is that they don’t have access to single sex toilets. This week we had the privilege of dedicating 3 blocks of latrines at the Mwangu Ivuti Primary School, a 5 1/2 hour drive from Nairobi. Have a look at the photo below of the before and after shots.

Imagine going in the one on the left, which actually faced the playing field, it simply was a hole in the ground? At least now the girls will have their own block of latrines as well as the staff and the boys. It only costs $2,500 to build latrines. How ridiculously cheap is that! This year we want to give as many schools latrines and help keep kids in school, especially girls. If they’re not in school they are transporting water, working around home, perhaps married off and often, open to abuse. Schools are more than learning centres, they’re a place of safety, community and hope.

Help us help the kids by donating today – www.thekilichallenge.com

Why Go To Africa?

Why should we spend thousands of dollars and traveling for days to go to Africa? Couldn’t the money be spent in better ways? Couldn’t you be more effective here in Australia?

These are questions that people ask and we ask ourselves. Going and seeing for ourselves the projects and then being able to show everyone where their money has gone is invaluable. Sure, it’s a long way, but then, Australia is at the bottom of the world. All of our trips are self funded as we want all donations to go to our projects, so there’s no cost to the organisation. The long term effect of taking people into Africa is that people catch the vision and end up being long term committed to bringing change through the provision of clean water and toilets. Lastly, raising funds is a lot of hard work. Someone once told me that we have become professional beggars and I think they’re correct. Going to Africa enthuses you to keep on keeping on. The people you meet who are always grateful for a hand up, the smiles on their faces and the food they give out of the little they have, is definitely worth it.