“We met Javina at her homestead and walked with her to the river. She wore a pair of Jelly shoes with ripped backs. We wore hiking shoes thinking it would give us an advantage, but we were wrong. Because it had rained the night before, thick red clay caked our shoes, making progress difficult. It would have been easier to walk barefoot, but the thorns from the acacia bushes slice through soles of shoes, let alone feet. We nearly fell many times in the slippery mud. (Javina, used to the terrain, kept her balance amazingly well.)

During the wet season flooding washes human and livestock excrement into the river. That means Javina is carting home harmful water-borne microbes; in fact, everyone in her family has had dysentery and typhoid. Even though she knows the water is dangerous, Javina doesn’t have any other options—better to take a chance of getting sick than die from lack of water.

After filling the jerry can with a small pitcher, Javina hoisted it on her back and wound a scarf around her head to fasten her load. One of us tried to mirror Javina’s process, but it was soon clear the jerry can was too much for one athletic American woman to carry. Even with both of us, we had to stop and shift position frequently, prolonging Javina’s trip.

When we think that Javina has to make her trip three times a day, under potentially dangerous conditions, we realize that bringing a source of clean water to the village will radically change the lives of her, her family, and the others in the village. For example, with time gained, Javina could grow vegetables for her family or learn a skill that would allow her to earn money for school fees for her children.

At the community celebration that night, word had spread of the adventures of the American women fetching water. They all had a good laugh at our attempt, but they also appreciated that we were willing to ‘walk in their shoes.’ It was an experience neither of us will ever forget.”

Jen and Jenny