Uzima founder, Bill Coble, bears witness daily to the magnitude of the world’s water crisis as he leads our sister organization, Start With One, in Nakuru, Kenya. Today, while distributing water filters in a town called Rongai, Bill and his team found tears in their eyes after meeting a new friend, Anne Njeri Muthinji.
On The Outside Looking In
As the team was addressing the crowd, Bill saw a woman across the street carrying her twigs in a bundle over her head. She stopped at the edge of the property and listened attentively to the hygiene presentation and filter demonstration. It was clear that she was longing to be among the crowd, but for some reason, she remained where she was, listening from afar. Sneaking glances during the presentation, Bill noticed that her clothing appeared to be in poor condition and she seemed in need. He asked Sam Kariuki, Start With One’s project chairman, to speak with her to ask how she was and if she had received a filter.
She responded that she had not received a filter because she couldn’t afford the registration fee. (For this project, residents are charged the equivalent of a few dollars to assist with the distribution of the filters). Struck by this, Bill invited her inside and placed an Uzima UZ-1 water filter system in her hands while the project leader continued speaking.
Unbridled Gratitude
She wept. She smiled. She gave thanks to God. She hugged and hung on tight to the shoulders of this person she had only just met. It was such a beautiful moment, filled with joy and gratitude. For a moment, the presentation came to a halt as the crowd saw what was transpiring in the life of their beloved friend, Anne, who would now also be drinking clean water tonight with her neighbors.
“If I was meant to be in Kenya for anything this year,” said Bill, “it was for this moment.”
Start With One, Impact Many
By the end of 2018, 15,000 households in Rongai will receive Uzima UZ-1 water filters through the efforts of Start With One. This week alone, approximately 900 filters were distributed. Today, the ONE is what mattered most. One person, one conversation, one filter. That’s all it takes to give life—to give clean water—to someone. Let’s talk. Let’s change lives together.
Start With One Kenya is a Kenya-based NGO and a recipient of grant funding from Start With One International, the parent organization of Uzima Clean Water Mission, LLC. For more information about Start With One Kenya, visit startwithonekenya.org
For more information about Uzima Water Filters, visit uzimafilters.org