Sometimes I forget what poverty really looks like. I tried not to take all my comforts at home for granted and tried even harder not to take the water I have for granted, but it's hard. As I walked through the villages and interviewed various people for my work, I realized that asking them "Why don't you use safe water?" involves more than just turning on the water faucet. For some, they have to walk miles and miles to get water - and sometimes their closest water source is the river. Some have told me that the people upland don't have latrines, so they defecate in the river or in the bushes nearby. They know the water is bad, but what can they do? For others, even if they get water from the tap, the water itself is not treated. Over half the people I interviewed said they don't boil or treat their water in any way because they lack the money or it's just plain laziness, they said. As much as I want to tell them that this simple task of treating their water can reduce diarrhea incidences by as much as half, I knew that most of them could not afford this method. And so the search continues - many people all over the world continue to seek solutions to resolve this issue. But the good news is that now at least 10 villages will now have access to over 60 water taps where at least the water is not contaminated by feces.
