The women of Savann Tabak walk an hour round trip, sometimes even multiple times a day, to collect water from the river near their community in rural Haiti. Often, their children join too.

“It’s like we are animals,” said Jan Baptiste Dienfette, a member of Savann Tabak’s water committee. “We are bathing in the river because we have no other place to go. We are drinking the dirty water and are scared of cholera.” Jan Baptiste wants to see her children in school instead of fetching water. She doesn’t want to see anyone make trips to the hospital because of waterborne disease. And she doesn’t want people to have to keep fighting for water in the dry season.

Jan Baptiste recently joined the water committee to advocate for her community. They hope to get their broken well repaired in the next few months. “Even though we suffer, we continue to have hope and look forward to the day when we can have clean water.”

Millions of people like Jan Baptiste scavenge for water and billions go without a toilet. But you can make a difference. Thank you for donating your voice, for celebrating clean water, and raising awareness about this important global issue!