Learn: Water Crisis

In the past, Yani Madrid, a 37-year-old mother of three children, walked every morning before dawn to the nearest, unsafe, water source in the Honduran district of San Antonio de Cortés.
“Every day was the same thing. I carried two buckets to fill with water so we could have water at home to drink and cook," she says with a soft laugh.
Filled to the brim, the 60-pound buckets of water hammered her shoulders as she walked two hours, sometimes multiple times a day. Yani's children, two boys and a girl, drank the water, ignoring that the water was contaminated and was sure to make them ill with diarrhea.
Sadly, for people who often resort to contaminated water, diarrhea is so normal that they do not visit a health center for treatment. It’s just a fact of life.
This story was true for Yani’s friends and neighbors until Water For People began working with the district of San Antonio de Cortés to ensure that Everyone has access to water Forever. Like so many mayors we’ve met, the mayor was unyielding in his goal to end water poverty. The result is today they have a protected water source and metering to ensure that the resource is long-lasting. This system is fully managed by a local Water Board who charges a monthly fee of $2.50 per subscriber in order to maintain a sustainable and lasting project through generations.
"Children suffered diarrhea at all times, before. Now they are not getting sick because the water we have at home is drinkable,” Yani said. "The Water Board charges us as monthly fee that I willingly pay because it means the water will last, be safe and flow constantly for my children. Now, I can spend more time taking care of them, help them with their homework and do my home chores," she said.

This awesome story gives my confidence in humankind. I love that people are actively working to make other's lives better. Without the work of Water for People families like Madrid's will continue to have a better future.