Since you found your way here, you probably already know all about my project but I'd like to write about if for those of you who aren't as familiar or for those of you who want a reminder.
I began sponsoring a young girl named Ana, in November 2010. My sponsorship came about in a very beautiful way, but I will save that story for another time. Needless to say, I was very excited to begin my sponsorship of such an adorable young girl. I have been sponsoring from the Philippines since 2002 (my first sponsorship), and have a lot of warm feelings towards the country because of this. Every letter I receive is full of love and kindness.
I was distressed to learn that when Ana went in to her checkup it was discovered that not only did she suffer from malnutrition (not entirely unexpected), but she also had parasites! This meant her whole family was likely to have them as well. The family received medication and information about how to prevent it in the future.
However, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was not the end. While Ana was new to sponsorship, her older sister was not. I know they must have received information on boiling water and other methods of prevention. But the truth of the matter is that there is simply no clean water source in their community. Ana's family uses a nearby stream. A stream on its own has many forms of life within it, many that are not friendly to the human body, but this stream is probably very contaminated as well since it is the main source for so many people.
This led me to think even more about Ana's community. I am used to sponsoring and only focusing on my sponsored children (a big task in and of itself), but this issue is just simply to big for one family. I thought of how many people in the community must use that stream. And while Ana's family is lucky to be a part of CI, most of those families are not. They may not even know they have parasites, and for those that do it is incredibly expensive to travel to see a doctor, to pay for the visit, and then to pay for the medicine. This gets worse when the number of times a single person could end up with parasites is considered.
This is why I decided to go on my biggest adventure ever and try to raise the funds for a community water source. I have not gotten a specific number because I want to be relatively close to the goal when CI sends out for a field report (I would hate to raise the money only to find out it took so long that the prices have dramatically increased). So instead I asked for a general estimate. I was told projects in Tabaco usually come in at around $2000. It is not a small task, but it is one that can be accomplished! Plus, the idea of how impossible it would be for the community to raise those funds themselves is heartbreaking.
So I have begun by attempting to raise the first "half" of the funds: $1000. If you are interested in donating, or would like to pass this on to somebody who might like to donate, the website is here.
Firstgiving does take out about 8% in fees, but it's all tax deductible. If you'd like to donate through a different method feel free to contact me - I'd be more than happy to help!
Once this half is raised, I will ask CI to create a specific plan for Ana's community and will then work towards the final amount!
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