Today was our first full day in Ndola, Zambia. We met the staff at Seeds of Hope, Blood Water Mission’s ministry partner, here in Zambia. This is the place where the biosand filters, that you can give to a family next week during our One Drop Campaign, are made from scratch.
After devotions, we traveled to a place to fix a well. The drillers were so impressed by my pump repair skills they asked me to join the local pump repair union, and I hear tell I might even get a blue jumpsuit…"Make it work."
Water is life for people here in Zambia and without this well people have been forced to resort to getting water from contaminated sources, which makes their kids sick. This place is called Twapia, which means broke or poor. For a long time this name was almost a self fulfilling prophecy, but things are changing here thanks to Blood Water Mission. There is now not only water, but hope where once there was despair.
Since being trained in water and sanitation the community of Twapia is starting to thrive. There is a distinct difference here that you feel when you walk down their street.
Educating the people is just as important as giving them clean water. We went to a local river and the problem was apparent.
People up stream doing laundry and bathing in the river contaminates the water for everyone downstream.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that people do this, the hospital also empties their waste water into this stream thereby increasing the need for families to have biosand filters to eliminate the water born diseases that are making Ndola’s children sick. It is no wonder that, “Dead Water,” is the term they use here for contaminated water.
HIV education and and prevention are also integral to the work that Blood Water Mission is doing in Zambia. Today we met two girls both in their twenties. One got tested and was negative the other was here for counseling following a positive test result.
Can you tell which girl is positive? That is the problem and the reason that testing is so important. Next week during our One Drop Campaign, in addition to providing biosand filters for families, we will help provide HIV test kits to help stop the spread of HIV in a country where 20% of its population has HIV or AIDS. Today's results mirrored those numbers as 4 out of the 16 people tested came back positive for HIV. By the way the girl in the blue hat, Peggy, is HIV positive but thank the Lord her daughter is not.
Every trip there is always one kid who steals my heart. On this trip, it is this girl, who oddly enough has my hairdo and her name is Betty.
She followed me everywhere and seemed to look up to me much like Betty Rock. When I look at this little girl I am so motivated to do everything I can to help not only her and her family, but also her community.
Next week is going to be a big week on the show as we attempt to help these amazing people. Thanks for following along and I hope you will be inspired to help out next week!
