A true glimpse into the heartbreaking reality of people walking unimaginable distances for filthy water — and how we can rewrite this story.
It was a quiet morning in a dusty village in Maradi, Niger Republic. The sun hadn’t fully risen, but the heat was already creeping in. I had woken up early, hoping to capture the beauty of rural life as part of my travel journal. But instead, I witnessed something that shook me to my core.
I saw a long line of women and children—barefoot, worn out, and carrying large buckets. Some were as young as six. They were starting a journey; one they take every single day. A 12-mile walk—yes, 12 miles—just to fetch water. Not clean water. Not even water that’s safe. Just… any resemblance of water. Often brown, still, full of worms, dirt, and diseases. But for them, it was either that or die of thirst.
I decided to follow them that day.
What I saw when we arrived will never leave me. A swamp. Stagnant, foul-smelling water where animals bathed, urinated, and drank. The children scooped from it without hesitation. Their mothers didn’t stop them—because they had no other choice. Some even offered thanks to Allah for finding “water.” My eyes burned. My heart broke. I knew right then that this wasn’t just poverty. It was quiet suffering. A suffering that wouldn’t make the news. A suffering that millions endure, every single day, in silence.
These children deserve better. Water is not a luxury. It is a right.
That was the day our mission became clear.
With the help of kind donors, we built our first solar-powered well in a nearby village. For the first time in their lives, they had clean running water—just less than 1km from their homes. No more swamps. No more disease. No more death from thirst. You should have seen their faces. The laughter. The tears. The prayers.
But this story isn’t finished. Because this village is just one of many.
Millions still walk those long miles. Millions still drink from death.
But together, we can rewrite their story.
Will you help us? Will you be the one who changes the next village’s future forever?