This winter we (Hannah, Annie, Sam and Karla) will be traveling to Northern Ghana as Community Water Solutions Fellows. As Fellows, we will be spending a month learning about water issues and implementing a community run water-cleaning system in a rural village. We will help build a water treatment center, distribute safe water storage containers, and assist women in learning correct water treatment techniques.

Why are we doing this instead of skiing, snuggling up next to a warm fire, or staying on campus to read, write and study? BECAUSE WE CARE! In the United States we take our clean water for granted, and need to realize how fortunate we are to have safe water constantly available. Lack of clean drinking water is a huge issue in Ghana and the majority of Africa. Women spend hours every day at watering holes collecting highly contaminated drinking water that is unsafe for anyone to drink. There is dire need for improvement in water treatment technology; however, many of the current solutions are extremely expensive and impractical for use by rural families.

Community Water Solutions, however, has created a sustainable water treatment plan that is highly efficient in rural areas. In each village, two women are chosen to run the water business and are educated in how to operate and maintain the centrally-located water treatment and distribution system. These women become leaders within their community - they improve the lives of every individual while simultaneously making a small profit for themselves. Some of the women running these businesses have even sent their children to school with the small profits they have gained from this business!
Support us!! All donations will go toward creating a sustainable water purification system that will produce clean drinking water for one community in Ghana - roughly 6,500 people! All together, we need to raise $10,000 to offset the cost of building materials, transportation, and living costs while we are in Ghana. Any donations - no matter how small - are greatly appreciated.

Visit www.communitywatersolutions.org for more information about Community Water Solutions.

Best,
Hannah, Annie, Sam and Karla