Sunday 24 February 2008

BARAKA OBAMA with his Family[kenya side]
Young Baraka Obama

Young Barack Obama



Missing out
Sa'a Ali, 13, from Fikaji village used to collect water from this pond.
Credit: WaterAid / Suzanne Porter

In Fikaji village in the Bauchi State of central Nigeria, Sa'a Ali and her community used to have no access to safe, clean water, putting them at risk of illness and disease.
Sa'a knows the pain of missing out. When we visited her she told us, "I have to collect water three times a day for my family. It is my duty to make sure the container for water at home isn't empty." Sa'a is just 13.
Before WaterAid worked with her community, Sa'a faced a daily choice. To fetch water she could walk to a river nearly an hour away where the water was not clean.
Or she could collect her family's water from a muddy pond which was much closer and a less tiring journey for her. The water there was even dirtier than the river and was shared with animals and unknown germs. Tragically the pond was the community's main water source.
Thanks to people like you, the villagers of Fikaji now have new hope. They have recently finished digging a well to provide the whole community with safe, clean water. They also have sanitary latrines and are learning the value of good hygiene practices.
The new pump installed in Birnin Gaye, Bauchi State, Nigeria
In nearby Birnin Gaye, also in Nigeria's Bauchi State, the community has also worked with WaterAid to install a simple pump providing safe, clean water to the 400 villagers. Before the pump, the women of Birnin Gaye had no choice but to collect water from a dangerous muddy river or a dry hole. In the dry season, women would spend countless hours digging in the sand every day, searching for water.
Adana Haruna lives in Birnin Gaye. She recalls:
"My family got cholera and other sicknesses from drinking this water. One of my children died from it. Virtually every month one of my children would get sick. I would have to spend a day taking them to the clinic 14 kilometres away."
We're so glad we were able to help Adana, Sa'a, and their communities. But unfortunately for every community we reach, there are still others missing out.
Please help today by giving a gift. With your help we will help more of the world's poorest people gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education in the 17 countries where we work.