What a Difference a Dish Rack Makes!
You’ve likely heard the expression, “What a difference a day makes”, right? Its origin may have come from Dinah Washington’s 1959 top 10 hit, by the same title – or maybe the expression was used to title the song – but you get my point.
In Moyo Zambia from where I recently returned, comes my own take on the expression/song. A simple thing like “a dish rack” can make a world of difference in a place like Moyo.
Actually, our team of trip participants learned of the 5 simple things Moyo residents are being encouraged to set-up in order to “earn” World Vision’s installation of Mechanized Water. A system that provides “nearby access” to clean water within their community.
1) a dish rack,
2) a trash pit,
3) a shower area,
4) a pit latrine with a “tip-top” (a mechanism rigged for hand washing),
5) and a generally clean an tidy living area.
These 5 things have so much impact on their living conditions, just hearing about it alone is not enough.
You just have to meet the people it impacts to truly understand.
Not only does it decrease deaths from waterborne disease, the children are able to focus on things like attending school because they no longer have to walk miles and miles just to carry dirty water from a stream for drinking/cooking/bathing.
It was exciting to see first hand the impact World Vision child sponsorship can make by not only addressing the immediate physical needs but also the transition toward the behavioral changes that must also occur in order to make a sustainable difference. If interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to ask me about how you can make a difference in Moyo.
Just one (of many) examples of the impact… Since our first visit in May 2010, World Vision and CPC (my church) have helped make Malaria, fall from the 1st to the 4th position in terms of cause for disease related deaths.
Upon delivering new bed linens to nurse Katherine in the Moyo clinic on behalf of CPC, it was a total blessing to see the once full clinic beds bringing new life instead of the alternative!
I feel so blessed to have been able to visit a second time to see my amazing, hard working, friends at World Vision Moyo ADP as well as my sponsored child, Beene!
God bless them all!
Eli
PS: Please stay tuned for more Moyo stories to come!
Elizabeth Mansfield
Founder and Principal Business Development Consultant
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