Our countdown is under 2 days! We have lists coming out of our ears, but its the only way we know to make order out of packing for a month long journey which includes teaching a two week sanitation class and a week-long African safari tacked on the end. Its going to be an awesome adventure!In our last edition, (some of you probably thought we already left for Africa) we mentioned going to the Annual Lifewater Conference. We had a great time there, saw many friends from our sanitation trainings, and met a whole bunch of other volunteers. It was great to hear trip reports that showed how Lifewater volunteers and partners are making huge differences in many people's lives. The sessions got our minds thinking and hearts feeling as we sought to further understand the world water crisis.
The picture above is part of Lifewater's new "Where would you go?" public awareness campaign. Its desinged to make North Americans aware that 42% of the world's population lacks a place to go the the bathroom. The concept is simple, if you were left without a place to do your business where would you go? The light-hearted and life-sized placards address a serious issue. To be honest it broke our hearts to learn a few stories behind the 42% figure. Sadly, the lack of latrines and bathrooms has the biggest impact on women. We learned that:
- For privacy reasons many women have to wait until night to deficate in fields causing urinary tract and vaginal infections, and chronic constipation
- Lack of latrines at schools oftens prevents girls form attending school after puberty and discourages female teachers from working at schools.
- Having to walk into the bush to find a private place can put women in danger of sexual assault.
These facts put a face on the numbers and brought us to tears. Pray that as a result of our training class our students will change the lives of Zambian girls, giving them health and a chance at an education.
