This is not my typical message, but these are unprecedented times. It is hard to imagine now that just weeks ago I was visiting water projects in Africa. During my time in Uganda, at the Kanziira Primary school of 600 students, I watched the students do hand-washing demonstrations using tippy taps: jugs filled with water, tipped by use of a foot. Along with their new well, our beneficiaries get water access, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) training that teaches them about hand-washing, protecting their water source from contamination and disease transmission.

Right now, clean water, hand-washing and hygiene training are the first lines of defense against COVID-19 in rural, East Africa, but 93% of people there lack access to safe sanitation services (like hand-washing stations). While at the school, I learned that our Water to Thrive well was used by both the school and the village of 80 households. I imagine that social distancing proves challenging when large communities and schools must gather every day to share a single water source.

Water to Thrive was not expecting to lose $140,000 in operational funding this year. With this loss, we will soon be unable to continue covering the operational costs of building new wells. Your gift will allow us to keep the water flowing and to keep our 100 Percent Promise.

Please make an urgent gift to our Operations Emergency Relief Fund. A $500 gift defrays the operational costs of building one well, but we welcome a gift in any amount! Plus, thanks to our amazing Board of Directors, your donation will be matched $.50 on the dollar up to $55,000!

God bless and stay safe!

Susanne M. Wilson