“While the first community we visited didn’t even have safe water to drink or desks in their schools for their children, they did have enthusiasm, trust and an awareness of their situation to know they could improve their lives, especially for their children.”
By Patte Brown, Plan USA Marketing Manager
Mabel
Mabel was one of the first young children whom I met in Ghana. At the tender age of nine, she’s already been through so much. Abandoned by her mom and dad, she lives with — and cares for — her Granny, who has a heart condition.
Unfortunately, because of her responsibilities, Mabel misses out on a lot — like school. The school is only about 500 yards away, but Mabel can't go because her days are spent caring for her fragile grandmother and performing basic household duties like cleaning, cooking and collecting water.
Collecting water is one of the everyday jobs that most children have and, like the other children, Mabel collects her water from the Volta River. The Volta is walking distance away and is essential for survival as the village has no boreholes or wells. Along with the other children in her village, Mabel normally makes the trip several times a day, wading out into the river — away from the muddy bank — to get “clean” water.
I write “clean” because every trip to the river threatens the health of the children.
Bilharzias, mudfish and the importance of hygiene education
Bilharzias is a parasitic disease. Found in Asia, Africa, and South America, the disease is prevalent in areas where water is contaminated with freshwater snails, which may carry the parasite. Although not necessarily fatal, Bilharzias is often chronic and can cause liver and intestinal damage.
While treatment of Bilharzias is simple — pills taken orally for one or two days – I was told by Plan staff that the problem is, even after medication is taken, the larvae will be reintroduced into a person’s system once again when she goes back into the water. The real solution is to educate the families about the risk and to provide the community with treated water so the children don’t have to go into the river.
The next day we visited another community in the Volta region, one that was more inland. I was fascinated by the huge tubs the children carried on the tops of their heads to transport water. I tried to pick up a container when it was full and I barely lifted it off the ground, yet these children hefted the tubs to their heads for the hour walk back to the village twice a day!
In the early morning we took a walk with one girl, Akpenny, and her sister. They had talked about the stream where they obtained water, and I expected to see clear, running water. Boy was I surprised! The “stream” had dried up to a 3-foot by 3-foot dirty grey puddle full of fallen leaves, twigs and very ugly little brown mudfish. Everyone told me that they were fortunate to have this place to fetch their water: in other villages the inhabitants have to share their water source with local animals.
I just couldn’t believe they used this water for washing, cooking and drinking, but what else did they have?
Fortunately, with Plan’s help, the local agency has begun work on a borehole (a drilled well). Once the water pump is assembled, they’ll be able to have clean water for the village. What’s more, with the borehole within their village, the children won’t have to walk so far every day to get water.
It takes up to two hours to get from where I’m staying to the community each day – and the same to return. Fours hours of hard driving over very bumpy and dusty roads. Temperatures are in the 100's by noon or shortly thereafter and the dust collects on our arms and faces and in the creases of our clothing. Four hours is quite a bit of time to think — and that is exactly what I find myself doing.
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