Barak Bruerd

No other option…

Posted on October 11, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Families go entire generations with no option but to drink disease infested waters, some walking several miles a day to collect it.

Sharing…

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

The spring at this oasis supplies water for several thousand livestock a day; camels, donkeys, goats, and sheep. It also supplies people. Though it looks like dirt, most of the soil surrounding this spring is layers of dung built up over generations. In the coming year Blood:Water will fund the rehabilitation of this spring. It will be excavated by the local people, backfilled, and then capped with an outlet that will run “down stream” so livestock can drink without contaminating the water. A separate tap will be made so that people can obtain water without fighting for space from the animals.

Jostling for a Drink

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Road to Manhood

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Asia | No Comments

Two brothers driving the family sheep to a nearby spring. Although it’s easy to gloss over the simplicity of this story, it depicts something truly remarkable. How many of us would allow an 8 and 10 year old wander miles from home unaccompanied? How many of us would allow them to be in charge of a major portion of our family’s assets? Livestock represent the entirety of a pastoralist’s wealth; it’s the only possession they have that is of material value. And so on the shoulders’ of these two boys rests the family’s investments from which they will trade, buy food, pay for school, purchase clothing, medicine and anything else required for basic survival. The journey to manhood begins early and is shouldered with an ease most of us in the West can barely comprehend. I turned away to climb into my air conditioned Land Rover and grab a bottle of ice-cold water from the cooler. They walked the rest of the way to the oasis and drank from a spring polluted by the feet of thousands of dusty animals. It’s an injustice of immeasurable proportions.

Thirst for Education

Posted on September 01, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Education is one of the greatest needs in the developing world. But children can’t attend school if they are sick, and health is only a reality in the presence of good nutrition, clean water, and access to healthcare. Children here miss an average of 10 days of school of month due to sickness. Many days they come to class without food and many days the water to the school is dry and thirst forces children to eventually abandon class to go in search of water.