Another way to help...

My former students will (hopefully!) remember our discussions last year about how difficult it is for people in many parts of the world to get water. Every day, women and children all over the world walk many miles in search of water; often that water, is not really all that safe for human use. This was one of the problems that the Communities, Water, and Wildlife project was studying in Samburu.

Today, I came across an interesting way to help raise awareness of water issues around the world. A group in London is working on a project called Knit a River. This is a campaign to help an international non-governmental organization (NGO) called WaterAid raise awareness of the need for safe water and better sanitation in some of the worlds poorest countries. According to the project website, "More than 1 billion people do not have access to safe water, more han 2 billion people do not have access to sanitation. The resulting ill health is often a death sentence, in fact a child dies every 15 seconds due to water related diseases." They are asking people to knit 15cm x 15cm blue squares (any color, any type of yarn) to be sent to them in London. The squares will all be attached to create a river of yarn that can be used at WaterAid events to help demonstrate their message about the importance of water and toilets for all.

While WaterAid does not work directly in Kenya, they do work in Madagascar and other African countries (such as Uganda, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Tanzania). They partner with other NGOs to bring wells, better sanitation, and health education to some of the world's poorest people. In areas where they work, health improves and people have more time for economic activities.

So, for any of you knitters out there, I hope you'll join me in knitting a square or 2. Even if it doesn't help the Samburu directly, I think it's a worthy cause that could have a trickle down effect for all countries with similar water problems. For more information, visit I Knit or WaterAid. I'm happy to coordinate sending squares to I Knit; just drop me a line and I'll make a plan. Squares are due in London by March 2007, so let's get knitting!