The work that I came to see is in southwest Ethiopia is in a hard but beautiful land. Our partner organization, WaterAid, was warned that the Konso Woreda was not an easy place to work and that many had failed before them, but they decided to try.  (story continued)

I am traveling again... I wish a could package Africa and send it to you in a box; a taste of chai, the scent of markets, and the chill of early morning breezes in the village.  Worlds apart, it's easy to forget the urgency of a continent that is filled with the stories of life existing on the threadbare strands of survival

Yet woven within these frayed strands is a fiber of hope that is manifest in the vibrancy of laughing smiles and the callouses of strong hands that labor towards the restoration of an unseen promised land.  

We have the great privilege of laboring alongside these kindred spirits whose humanity is as frail as our own; to weave the fibers of our own story, weak for weak and strong for strong, into a fabric that can shelter against the tempest of an uncertain future.

From within the shelter of this community, our community, Africa still sings... women still dance around clean water, children still laugh and play games, songs are still written in honor of one another.  These are the relationships we have entered into, these are the communities we have changed.  And while their names may be too many for us to learn, they will never forget ours.  For what was once but a frail thread is now a vibrant tapestry of enduring hope.   

- Barak Bruerd (Director of Africa Programs)         

Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans have been victimized by a weeklong spate of violence that has left nearly 600 people dead and countless thousands driven from their homes after the nation's disputed presidential election.  With a massive health crisis looming, this week Ghana's President and head of the African Union, John Kufuor holds separate talks with both sides in Kenya's crisis over disputed elections in an effort to bring a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Blood:Water has been strongly tied to Kenya from our beginnings and some of our closest friends and partners reside there.  Here are the reactions and stories from a few of them:  (story continued)

 from Jena Lee, Executive Director

Greetings from Java House in Nairobi! I just returned from a handful of days in Rwanda visiting with some of the communities we are supporting through Geneva Global. It was a good and challenging visit. It was the first time in a long time when I felt somewhat out of place, a bit off in my African-connecting, and way more jet-lagged than I’ve ever experienced...

 Author: Barak Bruerd, 1000 Wells Project Manager (BWM)

The human body is 70% water.  A 3% loss of water can reduce a person’s ability work by 20%.  For your average 60lb school-age child, that amounts to a standard nalgene-bottle full of water.  Under exertion, the human body can sweat twice that in an hour.  Now imagine sub-Saharan Africa, 90 to 110 degree heat depending on the season and a 2 mile hike to get water... one way.  The average size jerry can used to carry water is 5 gallons, which weights a whopping 40lbs.  Now imagine that you are a 7-year old girl.  And you make this trek 3 times every day.

I’m in Africa.  It’s been 9 years since I last set foot on this continent and I must confess that I have missed it greatly.  There is a certain rhythm that pulses through this continent; a coexistence of beauty and darkness that brings my soul to life in the wonder of the beauty and the challenge of the darkness.  Staring out among a sea of golden brown faces flashing brilliant white smiles and trilling cheers we enter community after community, and my decidedly white ethnicity responds awkwardly as it is forced to move to the flowing rhythms of the cultural dances that accompany our celebrated entrances.  Enthusiastic hands clasp mine in a monochromatic collage as I greet one after another with foreign words I barely understand.  Yet the meaning is manifest in their eyes and the value extends beyond the mere words which I utter to the unspoken message that I care enough to extend myself into their world. 

This small community of 60 people is transformed weekly when they hold a market every Tuesday drawing about 5,000 people. The only source of water had been an unprotected water area that is far too small and unclean. This area has been ravaged by the LRA as well as AIDS, leaving hundreds of orphans.

This hand pump well will help prevent stomach aches and improve health and work efficiency. There was a two hour wait in line for the unclean water before. Community members are also interested in selling water to use it for income generating projects.

 --In partership with JOY Drilling and Lifewater International (LI)