Picture this…It’s early morning, and a 12 year old girl has walked 2km to collect water from the local borehole with her grandmother.

The journey involves walking through wild and mountainous land with uneven terrains. This is the first of 3 trips she will make today, and every single day. She carries 20 – 40 litres in a container, on her head the whole 2km home. Her grandmother is old and frail and she is 12, but together, this is what they do every single day to provide clean water for their family. She’s not the only one there as many children undertake this task as a daily chore, mainly before they attend school.

Our children can take a clean shower every morning, have breakfast and go off to school. We take so much for granted.

Think about it for a minute. Imagine your child walking 4km every single day carrying 20 – 40 litres of water on their head. Imagine them buckling under the weight and the strain and damage to their bodies. Imagine them struggling in the sweltering heat and having little to no rest before the journey home or a repeat journey to collect more water. Make that image more vivid and allow it to touch your heart.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a way we can help…

Drop of Compassion are looking to provide families with the Water Wheel device to transport water as it can be rolled instead of being carried on the back or the head. The water wheel is a simple, yet clever device that significantly reduces the risk of neck and spine injuries from carrying water. It has a larger water holding capacity meaning a family can source sufficient water via a single trip leaving more time for education, employment or recreation.

"It is beneficial on so many levels; reducing the drudgery of water collection for women, providing irrigation for household vegetable gardens, and enabling people to use their time more productively." - (Madhukar Dhas, Director, Dilasa Sanstha)