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The Gift of Water

April 17, 2012 by Cross Catholic Blog

Thanks to the support of Cross Catholic Outreach, Maasai women like Hanna who live in a drought-impacted area of Kenya will soon receive the precious gift of water!
Thanks to the support of Cross Catholic Outreach, Maasai women like Hanna who live in a drought-impacted area of Kenya will soon receive the precious gift of water!

Last month I visited the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe of herders in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. The trip was like stepping back in time. Though only a two-hour drive from cosmopolitan Nairobi, Maasai society is largely untouched by modernity. The people live in bomas, small huts made of dried mud, thatch and cow dung.  Their affluence is measured by the quantity of their goats and cattle.

Adorned in their colorful, beaded jewelry, the women stand out in stark contrast to the dusty, drought-ravaged landscape. But as I began to hear their stories and learn more about their lives, I was quick to discover — life is not easy for a Maasai woman.

Meet Hanna Ntingista. She’s a 55-year-old mother of eight.

“The Maasai lady is the busiest of all ladies,” she said.

Hanna wakes up at 4 a.m. to take care of the cows. After tending to the cattle, she wakes her children and prepares them for school. Then, she begins the hour-long trek to fetch water.

“It’s the job of the woman to fetch water,” she said. “But there is no water nearby and this is a big problem. I have to take my donkey and walk many miles. I try and minimize my trips because it’s backbreaking work, but my family needs water.”

Thankfully, Hanna is one of 42,000 people who will soon benefit from a Cross Catholic Outreach-funded water project in the parish of Ewuaso Kedong. Led by Father John Fortune and a committee of faith-filled community members, this massive water project will provide long-term drought relief to those who need it most. Like Hanna.

“The new water will be good for my children and animals because we will be able to use much more,” she said. “And soon I will be able to start a garden. Fresh vegetables will keep my children healthy and help me earn an income. I appreciate this new water very much!”

Thank you to our generous supporters who are helping hardworking women like Hanna provide their children with one of life’s most basic needs — water. May God bless you for your compassion!

-Annie W.

Filed Under: Africa, Water Tagged With: Africa, water

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Cross Catholic Outreach
2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 300
PO Box 273908
Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908
800-914-2420
Cross Catholic Outreach is a 501(c)(3)
EIN 65-1156061

Audited Financial for Fiscal Year 2019

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