from becky

this is the first thing i read this morning.  the tears were already welling even before i made it out of bed.  if you've been involved in this year's raffle, please read this from becky straw, co-founder of theadventureproject,  you'll be humbled and honored and just so thrilled to have been a part of this unique campaign.  i know i am. 

Real solutions are complex. Multifaceted. They must be designed to work as an ecosystem.

For water, there’s the mechanic: who makes sure wells are working and fixes them when they brake. The caretaker: who keeps the well clean and sells water to the community. Then there’s the community: who collects water every day, paying a small fee to ensure the mechanic and caretaker can do their jobs well. These three pieces work in harmony, except -- when there is no mechanic.

The communities in Uganda are already paying for water. But without mechanics, they pay for service that is unreliable. They never know when their well might break. That’s why we’re piloting this program in Uganda, first.

Most of you supported our water-well program in India, which has proven successful beyond measure. While that program continues to grow, together we can bring well-mechanics to Africa.

I know in my heart it will work. Because I know people in Africa want to work.

I know people want jobs. For the last five years that’s exactly what they’ve told me. I have received eloquent pitches alongside roadside fruit stands, in villages, and refugee camps. Their resumes are not written on paper, but etched in hearts. Their voices implore, “Please Ms., if I could just earn a little money, I can send my children to school.”  And right before my heart breaks they ask, “Could you help me?”

As I write from our new NYC office, I still remember their faces. And the glimmer in their eyes, hoping I might be the one to finally say, “Yes.”

I’m asking for your help, because so many people have asked me. Not for gifts, free rides or handouts, but for the opportunity to thrive.

......

Today, on World Water Day, your family can provide a family in Uganda clean, reliable water. $100 makes this possible. And together, as a global family, we can touch 7,500 lives. The goal is to reach 30 communities in the next 30 days.

At The Adventure Project, we work tirelessly knowing this is a starting point for change across Africa. Bringing good jobs that transform communities.

I’m asking you to join us and bring this dream first to Uganda, and then all of Africa. We start here. It starts today.

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and with that, i'm heading out the door to get ready for this water party.  :)