Life teaches us lessons that we cannot ignore. One lesson is the importance of water, and the challenge many people face in getting it. Moving from one community to the next in Ghana, we see the brutal reality many families experience. For example, people travel long distances, both young and old, to fetch water. Many times, the water they bring back to their homes is not even potable. Others pay exorbitant amounts to secure potable water, wasting money that could have gone to food, education, or savings.
When we began constructing boreholes, we did not only get the chance to reach communities but also to hear real-life stories. Each borehole has the voice of change behind it. It is not just about water coming out of the ground, it is about a mother who donot have wake up her children at dawn to travel long distances for water. It is about a father who would no longer spend a lot of money on buying potable water for his family. It is about school children who would not arrive at school late because they had water at thier disposal. These are all the quiet victories I remember as to why this work matters.
While I'm incredibly proud of the boreholes we've created, and I'm humbly grateful for the support we've received through Hive, I often have to sit in a sadness while sharing these stories. The sadness comes from the fact that often, the very circumstances we are describing are shocking and heartbreaking, and they represent the most difficult social aspects of life in Africa. And many people on the outside who do not fully recognize the full truth, think our stories sometimes confirm their own preconceived but negative beliefs about an entire continent.
This is where it gets hard to balance, do we withhold our challenge from the perception of others, and save face? Or, do we share the truths of what these stories represent that people see that there is very real pain but some real progress? I believe we have to share the truth. If we don't share these stories and the reasons for change, no one will ever realize what is happening out there. The story of a borehole is not only the story of suffering based on the absence of water; it is the story of hope, the story of empowerment of people moving on from it, and growing.
I am always cognizant that every community has a voice, and their own progress narrative. Some communities are in periods of waiting for help soon, while some are experiencing joy of water now flowing to within some steps from their homes. But each borehole is a living testament to what can happen when a community of people care, come together, and take action.
At the end of the day, these true stories reflect both realities. They remind us all that all we may ever see are our situations as the same but when we have love, knowledge and support, we can help to change what is unnatural. And this is why I we keep sharing about it, because underneath every sad story, underneath every behaviour or conscious struggle in the present moment, is a bright story of change.