It has been four months since the last rains fell on Tuvalu's sands. The beautiful nation surrounded by water is in drought. To an island people that rely on rainwater they can store in catch-basins, what often begins as an inconvenience can quickly escalate to a serious crisis.
That's where we are now. The taro, 'ulu (breadfruit), pulaka, and bananas are beginning to die. These foods are major staples in the local diet. Water is currently being severely rationed, and you can imagine that there simply isn't enough for all the animals to drink their fill.
So often we take for granted turning on the tap and filling our glasses with as much clean water as we can drink. When was the last time you stepped under a warm stream of clean freshwater to enjoy a long shower? Our Tuvaluan brothers and sisters bathe in the sea now, conserving every drop they can for cooking and drinking.
But to them, the glass is always half full. They find the joy in every moment of life and are grateful for what they have been given. They know that God will send rain in His own time, and it is their place to care for one another and patiently wait for deliverance from drought and maybe famine.
They are not alone. Australia and New Zealand are helping where they can. Sending fresh water takes a little bit of time and a lot of money. We are working on long-term solutions now, and using funding from this blog through our generous and engaged audience, we would like to help them find a way to desalinate their water supply and purify the rainwater catchbasins. There are a myriad of ways to secure fresh and clean drinking water on islands like this, but it takes all of us and all of them.
If you can donate, please do so now. Every little bit sure helps. We work hard to keep operating costs at a minimum, and everything donated goes where you would want it to. You may consider donating to the Tuvaluan Red Cross chapter or writing to a friend that might be able to assist. This blog is usually a good point-of-departure for people who are new to Tuvalu's people and culture.
If you are reading this in Japan, and have a case of sealed bottled water you would like to donate, please contact Luse at luse579@gmail.com. She can direct you to the nearest collection station for a water bottle drive, which will begin today, Tuesday, October 11.
There are 884 million people that don't enjoy safe drinking water. 12,373 of them live on this beautiful patch of paradise. If you could give just one of them a bottle of water, you would understand how a little bit goes a long way. If they could, each would thank you for caring enough to read about their plight.
That's where we are now. The taro, 'ulu (breadfruit), pulaka, and bananas are beginning to die. These foods are major staples in the local diet. Water is currently being severely rationed, and you can imagine that there simply isn't enough for all the animals to drink their fill.
So often we take for granted turning on the tap and filling our glasses with as much clean water as we can drink. When was the last time you stepped under a warm stream of clean freshwater to enjoy a long shower? Our Tuvaluan brothers and sisters bathe in the sea now, conserving every drop they can for cooking and drinking.
But to them, the glass is always half full. They find the joy in every moment of life and are grateful for what they have been given. They know that God will send rain in His own time, and it is their place to care for one another and patiently wait for deliverance from drought and maybe famine.
They are not alone. Australia and New Zealand are helping where they can. Sending fresh water takes a little bit of time and a lot of money. We are working on long-term solutions now, and using funding from this blog through our generous and engaged audience, we would like to help them find a way to desalinate their water supply and purify the rainwater catchbasins. There are a myriad of ways to secure fresh and clean drinking water on islands like this, but it takes all of us and all of them.
If you can donate, please do so now. Every little bit sure helps. We work hard to keep operating costs at a minimum, and everything donated goes where you would want it to. You may consider donating to the Tuvaluan Red Cross chapter or writing to a friend that might be able to assist. This blog is usually a good point-of-departure for people who are new to Tuvalu's people and culture.
If you are reading this in Japan, and have a case of sealed bottled water you would like to donate, please contact Luse at luse579@gmail.com. She can direct you to the nearest collection station for a water bottle drive, which will begin today, Tuesday, October 11.
There are 884 million people that don't enjoy safe drinking water. 12,373 of them live on this beautiful patch of paradise. If you could give just one of them a bottle of water, you would understand how a little bit goes a long way. If they could, each would thank you for caring enough to read about their plight.
I'm terribly sorry about your problem. I hope the rain is comming with the wet season and you don't have this problem no more.
ReplyDelete