What breaks your heart?

I'm definitely someone who tries to avoid negative, painful things in my life. This means I rarely watch the news. Somehow it is so much easier to deal with in word form. I rarely watch sad movies or message movies. (Yes, this does mean that I have no chance in Oscar pools anymore.) And, I never read the books Oprah recommends. 

But lately I keep getting challenged to take a long hard look at what breaks my heart. 

The more I read and hear, the more I've begun to think that asking what causes my heart to ache doesn't necessarily have to be a painful question to answer or a question I'd rather to avoid. What if we were able to redeem the question? Perhaps the things that break our hearts are also the things that cause the greatest passion within us, the things that lead us to action.

My precious friend Tracy is heartbroken by the literacy problem among disadvantaged children in our county. She believes that literacy is one of the most important steps towards being successful in life, and it destroys her to think that there are children who don't get this chance. Now, she could have felt the pain that comes with knowing there are children like this in our nation and pushed it down because who really wants to dwell in thoughts about kids who can't read, live in poverty, and have very little hope of a successful future? Instead, she embraced this pain and decided to use it. Tracy has created a nonprofit organization which is actively involved in the fight to make sure all children, no matter their gender, race, or economic status, have the chance at a successful future through their ability to read. Now, one of Tracy's greatest pains has become one of her greatest joys. You can't look into the face of one of her Freedom Readers and not think that embracing this pain wasn't one of the best things Tracy ever did. 

So, what breaks your heart? And, what are you going to do with the passion it has awakened within you? Asking these questions will change your life, just like it has Tracy's and mine. But, I promise you it will be worth it.

For more information on Freedom Readers, visit: http://www.freedomreaders.org/

My Medicine Cabinent

As my Southern coworkers often like to remind me, I'm not from around here. Usually, this comment comes because I've said something really straight forward or, to their ears, harsh. In many ways, this just proves I'm my father's daughter. So, when I told my dad that I was doing this project and his first response was to tell me I'd be stupid not to see a doctor before I started, I didn't think anything of it.  Some of my Southern friends, on the other hand, probably would have been quite upset... Anyway, I'd already planned a doctor's appointment so Dad's comment made me laugh at our similarities. (Love you, Dad!)

As of the start of January, I'm now on quite the vitamin regimen:

A multivitamin with Iron
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Zinc
Calcium
B Complex
Vitamin E

When my doctor gave me this list of supplements, I felt a twinge in my heart. I'm only living a rice and bean lifestyle for a month, but there are real people who live this way everyday. Vitamins aren't even close to being a part of their reality.

But, my heart didn't break until the end of our conversation when my doctor said: Oh and make sure you drink plenty of water.

The Water Dog

This is Darcy.

This is Darcy drinking water.

Darcy has cleaner water than nearly 1 billion people in the world.

Where does the money go?

My goal for the month of January is two fold. I want to generate awareness about the clean water situation in our world, and I want to offer a practical response to that knowledge.

I understand though that donating to an unknown charity can be stressful. So, I wanted to take some time to tell you a little about how charity:water works.

When charity:water was started, its founders made a promise that 100% of all donations made would go to clean water projects. Once the $5000 is raised to fund a new well, charity:water will provide all donors to that particular well information on how they can track the well's progress through Google Earth. The average well project takes about 12-18 months to complete. So, if you donate to this particular project and we reach our $5000 goal, expect updates from charity:water in the future on how your well is going.

So, how does charity:water, the organization, function? All funds used for operating costs, staff salaries, etc. are raised independently of the money donated for water projects.

There is, of course, a lot more information available on how all of this works. To learn more, visit charity:water - How the 100% works. And, if you would like to see charity:water's financial reports, visit charity:water financials

Face the facts

Almost a billion people in the world don't have access to clean water. 1 in 8 people.

80% of diseases are caused by unclean water and basic sanitation. That's more deaths than those caused by any form of violence, including war.

90% of the 42,000 deaths caused by unclean water occurring each week are to children 5 years old and younger. Many of these could be prevented.

10% of diseases could be prevented by improving the water supply and sanitation.

Clean water could reduce water related deaths by 21%.

Sanitation could reduce water related deaths by 37.5%.

Handwashing could reduce water related deaths by 45%.

$20 gives one person clean water for 20 years.
$5000 will build a well for an entire community.



Source:
charity:water - why water?

Why water?

You might be wondering... Of all the causes Claire could grab ahold of, why water?

It's a good question. I don't have any deep connection to water. I'm not much of a swimmer. I prefer milk over water as my beverage of choice. I'm a fan of sunshine, not rainstorms.

The short answer is God told me to do this.
The longer answer is God has been leading me to this cause for a while now.

Over the course of my life if I narrow my volunteer and charitable inclinations down to just a few words, they would be literacy and children. I became a librarian because I believe that the achievement of literacy can change a person's life for the better and provide all the opportunities they need to succeed. Not being much of a teacher, librarianship seemed the best way I could help this cause. I have also been drawn to children's issues, and most of the volunteer work I have ever done has in some way involved kids. I believe every adult is obligated to do whatever they can to protect and encourage our most vulnerable.

So, how does this connect to water?

The American Library Association posits that to have information literacy, "a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."I would argue that any fully functioning adult requires a sort of Life Literacy. This would involve knowing how to communicate, knowing how to find the information or help needed, and using what they know or have discovered to live. This would include seeing the problems around them, paying attention to the ache in their heart over them, and doing something about it. Maybe you don't know much about the unclean water problem in our world. Think about whether you want to know more and whether you want to do something about it.

When a community doesn't have access to clean water, children often have to walk miles to attain clean water for their families. This keeps them out of school and makes them vulnerable to assault along the the miles back and forth from the water source. 80% of diseases are caused by unclean water and a lack of sanitation. Children are often victims of these diseases. Communities without clean water offer little in terms of a future for their children. The unclean water issue of our world is a childrens' issue. Are you content with the future we are allowing to occur?

A new beginning...

Welcome!

If you're reading this post, you've somehow found your way to this blog. I believe this wasn't an accident. I believe for whatever reason, God wanted to put the issue of providing clean water to the world on your heart. I encourage you to listen to His voice whispering to you about this problem and see what He has to tell you about it.

For the next month, I will be eating only rice and beans in hopes of raising $5000 which will make possible the building of a well for a community that up to this point has not had access to clean water. (For more information on this, please click on The Project at the top of the site.)

Via this blog, I hope to challenge you with facts about the water situation in the world and encourage you about how you can make a difference.

For now, here quite simply is how you can help:

1. Give

    Click on http://mycharitywater.org/waters-rising to donate directly to charity:water.

2. Pray

    Please pray for the water situation in our world. Pray that change would come.
    Please pray for me during the next month as I work to fulfill the vision God has
    given me.

3. Talk

    Tell your world about about how many communities do not have clean water.
    Make my project your own and invite your friends to give to our cause.