Jane Marindany and I share the same birth month, but few other circumstances of our lives are similar. I was born in Canada, where a warm, safe roof has always been over my head and unlimited clean water always available at the touch of a tap. Jane, however, was born in Kenya, where she raised five children in a mud-and-sticks hut. Five times a day, she walked to a well one kilometre away, each time retrieving up to 20 litres of water for her family.
As she tells her story, I can’t help but think of what it would feel like to walk with the weight of 20 litres of liquid on your back. In my mind, I compare it to carrying jugs of milk at home. Twenty litres?!? Many of us could barely manage half that, even if we’re just walking from the grocery store to our car.
Ismailimail 