Leaving the water run while you brush your teeth...

For the last two days there has been a major water shortage in my area, but also in lots of other places all over Malawi. What does that mean?....for 48 hours I've been very thirsty...but the issue is much much bigger than me.

This problem of thirst could be easily solved in my circumstances...all I have to do is wake up at 4am and join the crowd of amayis at the borehole, before it dries up soon after this time. I just have to carry a bucket of water on my head, before it's light out, about 1km back to my house. Or I could be lazy and wait patiently for my water source to turn back on (I have a tap outside my landlord's house, so most volunteers would say I already am lazy...or just really lucky). I have a few water bottles in my house holding me over for now so I'm not surviving completely without water...don't panic Mom. I haven't quite decided which I want to do yet though, when those water bottles run out, get up early or be thirsty, but so far I've slept in and waited patiently trying not to think about the 1km walk with a bucket on my head while it's still dark out (this is soon to change if my problem in lack of water continues). And again, this is something the majority of volunteers do everyday, like pretty everyone else in Malawi, I've just been blessed with a tap.

But the point isn't about me or my thirst. I'll make sure I'm okay and do what I need to do to get water. What I'm getting at with this short post is that having water shouldn't be something we take for granted anywhere in the world.

I wanted to share this little piece of my last few days so when you’re brushing your teeth this morning or tonight remember that the water that comes out of that spout in your sink isn’t always "running" for a majority of people in the poorest parts of the world. When hot season comes, or when there's a fault in the water system, or when boreholes dry up, people don't have access to clean water 24 hours a day. That some people are waking up at 3-4am to walk to a borehole to seek and collect clean water before it dries up for the day....and maybe they are doing this for months in a row. Or getting their water straight from the lake, or other shallow wells that are not clean sources. It's just a reminder for us who don't have to worry about having water available to be thankful. A reminder to try and not take water for granted, because although it seems like it’s just there, that isn’t always the case for others around the world.

So turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth. Although it may not give water to those in need directly, it's still saving water that just normally goes to waste.

I think the picture below does a nice job explaining how I now feel about water...plus I think it's funny :) Collect it. Reuse it. No water goes to waste.

#peacecorps