It is early on Saturday morning in Swaziland. All along the road I notice children walking. Some are chewing on sugarcane sticks. The boys are drawing lines in the sand with branches. The older ones are pushing the younger ones on the wheelbarrows. These children are off to the nearest source of water. Collecting water for the day.
Nceba and her sister Nonhlanghla live in a village close to Big Bend in Swaziland. Due to the lack of clean water supply to their village they walk kilometers every afternoon, fetching water for the whole family. Collecting water is not only time consuming but also physically demanding on the girls. A liter of water weighs one kilogram and may need to be carried far distances to their homesteads. Heavy drums of water cause damage to the spinal cord in the long term. There can be injuries to the head, neck and spine. The spine can be deformed later in life, causing problems in pregnancy and childbirth. In order to attend school and fetch water, wells need to be established closer to the villages.
Saturdays are also washing day. Women go down to the nearest streams or rivers to do their washing. The locals tell me that they have lost wives and little ones, killed by crocodiles roaming the rivers. There are no other means of getting the washing done.
Hillary Clinton often said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ We must apply a similar approach on earth. It takes a shared, worldwide response to meet the shared, global challenges we are facing.
Water may be described as the music and celebration of life for the melody that its purification symbolism brings to one’s life!
Chris Litschka
“Depicting Life”
5 Responses
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Lenette
July 30, 2010
First of all – what a lovely picture! Thank you for sharing the story. How courageous of the children walking the distance to getting water. Certainly we need to take hands and bring waterwells closer to home. Words will be the first step in taking action. Brainstorming session? Bless al souls involved.
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Heather
July 30, 2010
Really a touching article – so well written and with a beautiful photo to accompany it!
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Marius
August 1, 2010
Well put!
Interesting fact that the water hole is traditionally the place where they meet new girlfriends/boyfriends play games and tell stories.
Often collecting water, doing washing might be the highlight of the day, though westernized lifestyles might find this hard to comprehend.
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Chris Litschka
August 2, 2010
Wouldn’t it be great for someone to capture all these stories told.
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chris Litschka
August 2, 2010
I was asked if water borne diseases are not a bigger threat than crocodiles. Diseases from infected rivers and streams, are the cause of about 17% of children under five years of age.
The truth is also that there are much more lifesaving treatments available than any other major childhood killer. As with any other disease a great deal of funding is still needed for these projects to be utilized to their full potential.
Leave Your Reply
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Lenette
July 30, 2010
First of all – what a lovely picture! Thank you for sharing the story. How courageous of the children walking the distance to getting water. Certainly we need to take hands and bring waterwells closer to home. Words will be the first step in taking action. Brainstorming session? Bless al souls involved.
-
Heather
July 30, 2010
Really a touching article – so well written and with a beautiful photo to accompany it!
-
Marius
August 1, 2010
Well put!
Interesting fact that the water hole is traditionally the place where they meet new girlfriends/boyfriends play games and tell stories.
Often collecting water, doing washing might be the highlight of the day, though westernized lifestyles might find this hard to comprehend.
-
Chris Litschka
August 2, 2010
Wouldn’t it be great for someone to capture all these stories told.
-
chris Litschka
August 2, 2010
I was asked if water borne diseases are not a bigger threat than crocodiles. Diseases from infected rivers and streams, are the cause of about 17% of children under five years of age.
The truth is also that there are much more lifesaving treatments available than any other major childhood killer. As with any other disease a great deal of funding is still needed for these projects to be utilized to their full potential.
