2 minute read
Christmas Appeal
Dirty water Dirty water or none at all? or none at all?
No mum should have to face this impossible choice. But this injustice is a reality for many on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Will you stand with mums this Christmas?
Adut’s family no longer drink this dirty river water. They now drink clean water from a borehole.
For a long time, Adut Mariu had no choice but to give her children dirty water. She knew it wasn’t safe, but she had no choice.
‘We were in desperate need,’ Adut said. ‘To look after my children, they
had to drink the dirty river water.’
The River Makadh runs through Adut’s village of Biet in north-west South Sudan and it was the community’s only source of water. It is dirty and unreliable.
The river dries up during long periods of drought and it floods during heavy rainfall, polluting fragile water sources, killing crops and destroying homes.
Combined with years of conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic, climate chaos forces mums like Adut to make impossible choices for their children.
A morsel of food for each child, or a bigger portion for one? School fees, or materials to rebuild the family home? Dirty water, or none at all?
Not anymore. Adut now has access to a borehole near her home. That means clean water for her children to drink, whatever the weather.
‘The water from the hand pump is very good. It’s disease free. We
drink it with peace of mind,’ said Adut.
It means no more upset tummies from drinking dirty water. It means healthier bodies and minds. And it means more family time together, sharing stories and laughter.
But while the borehole is life-changing, there are still many challenges ahead. The borehole is being used by around three times more people than it should be. Clean water is in desperate need across the region.
Mums on the frontline of the climate crisis face impossible choices every day. But our decision to stand with them is an easy one.
Your gifts this Christmas could help build more boreholes, provide seeds and farming tools, and give mums the chance to set up small businesses to take care of their families.
With clean water, nutritious food and ways to earn money, mums like Adut in South Sudan and beyond won’t have to make such impossible choices.
Life for Adut has been tough, but so is she. She’s lived through displacement, conflict, loss and now the climate crisis. But she is still full of hope for her children’s futures.
We all do what we can for the children in our lives, especially at Christmas. Stand with mums this Christmas and help the next generation thrive.
