Photo courtesy of Charity:Water
For this year’s Aperture Effect, I’m asking you to consider passing your hard-earned money to the people of India—giving them a taste of health and a taste of dignity.
From Charity:Water, here’s the story of 10-year-old Rahul.
Meet Rahul. He’s 10 years old and lives in Pantanapalli village — a small community of 51 houses in Orissa, India.
Rahul’s dad is one of the village leaders and has championed the effort to bring clean water here through Charity:Water. Currently, the village uses a pond for most of their water needs. It’s filled with algae and plenty of waterborne diseases, but it’s the only water source they have.
This is where everyone comes to bathe, wash their clothes and prepare their food. It’s also where they collect drinking water when the wells dry up in summer months.
Rahul has bathed in this pond since he was born. And like many other kids here, his skin is covered with scabies — a water-related skin disease.
But life for Rahul and his family is about to change. He lives in one of the villages scheduled to receive clean water from Charity:Water. If we’re successful this year, Rahul’s family will get clean water piped directly into their home, and he won’t need to use the pond anymore.
That means no more scabies. It means less time being sick and less money spent on treating sickness. It means more time for school and friends. It means a better future for Rahul and his family.
You can help bring clean water to villages like Pantanapalli and provide a better way of life for Rahul, his friends and his family.