September 30th through October 9th I will walk 10 days/10 walks to represent the up to 10 hours a day that women and girls in rural India walk to obtain water for their households.  Please join me in this mission to give water and other resources to help these girls support their futures. 

Nearly 4 years ago, I went on a volunteer trip to India.  One of the reasons for the trip was to help dig for taankas in the Thar desert with WomenServe. Taankas are rainwater catchment storage tanks that help supply a home with easy access to water. Without a taanka, some women walk up to 10 hours a day to retrieve water for their home.  This means that girls are not able to go to school, as they are often helping to retrieve water for their homes instead.

I helped dig a taanka for a woman named Dapu.  She dug alongside us and helped show us the best techniques to dig efficiently with the tools we had.  There we were, trying to help her, but really she was helping us! My group also (attempted to) help her clear the millet fields by her home. I was exhausted after about 20 minutes and only cleared a fraction of what she could do in that time. When we needed breaks to cool down from the heat, her family was kind and patient with us.

I remember coming home from this trip being mixed with so many emotions.  I had so much gratitude and love for being able to go on this trip, yet had so much guilt to be able to easily hop in my shower or turn on the sink faucet.  To this day, I take for granted my easy access to water.  So I want to do what I can by continuing to help support WomenServe in their mission to help others gain easier access to this essential need. 

To learn more about WomenServe check out their website at https://www.womenserve.org/ and scroll down to DONATE! THANK YOU!