Be Hope To Her!

Last Thursday at WVU and 10 other campuses in the U.S. there was an event called bh2o or "Be Hope To Her". This event was sponsored by a new and awesome organization Nuru International. It's purpose was to raise awareness of the unjust conditions that many young girls and women in the world experience every day. Check out the Be Hope to Her website to see an awesome explaination.

Let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience for me. These girls and women walk an average of 30min to the nearest water source, wait in line to fill up their bucket, and walk an average of 30min back to their village...then they have to boil the water before their family can drink it. And they have to repeat this 3 to 4 times a day!! Why, because there are no wells near their communities. These young women miss out on school and they feel that there is no hope for their lives besides fetching water. And that crazy thing is that we can turn on our faucet and leave it running as long as we want. We can quickly go to the kitchen and drink any amount of water we want. It is unjust...and 11 campuses teamed up with Nuru to make this known to the public.

The response was awesome. What would you think if you saw a group of 30 some girls walking with bright yellow buckets on their heads through campus?? Plus, I cannot even begin to describe the crazy feeling of carrying almost 40 pounds on my head. When I first lifted the bucket...I could think of anything but, "how am I going to do this?" Honestly I had to dump some out..and then had to dump more out later. I dropped my bucket twice and lost all my water the second time. Fortunately I was able to bear some of the weight from some of my sisters buckets walking with me. I couldn't help to think about the emotions that the women in Africa would feel if they dropped their bucket. They would either have to walk back to the water source or return home without water for their family. Heartbreaking.

I encourage you to read more about this and to become educated. There is so much we don't know in the midst of our comfort in America. I am the first to admit how uneducated I am. Learn with me. Find out what you can do! The awesome news is that 4 wells will be built in Kuria, Kenya near elementary schools this summer so that the young girls can go to school AND get water for their families!! Praise God :)

Isaiah 58:10-11 Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.