#WASHtheGLOBE

Imagine a hot summer day at your local pool. The sun is shining, and you and your friends jump into the cool refreshing water. A glass of ice water is waiting for you when you emerge. For some, this indulgence is a simple pleasure, not a luxury. But for many, this is impossible due to a lack of clean, accessible water.

Water is necessary for life. Many people in developed countries take it for granted because it is easily accessible, from the spout or the grocery store. Worldwide, there are over 2 billion people that do not have access to clean water, leading to the spread of disease, unhygienic practices, and unsafe living conditions. Children in schools are often so thirsty that they cannot focus, which contributes to an increased dropout rate. Infant mortality rates skyrocket where clean water is not available since water-borne diseases are the leading cause of death in children under the age of five.

This concerns us. Our program, GLOBE (Global Loan Opportunities for Budding Entrepreneurs) provides microloans to people living in the world’s most impoverished communities for income-generating activities.  Currently, GLOBE operates in Central America and Southeast Asia. Although we were once quite active in sub-Saharan Africa, our Daughter of Charity partners there tell us that dire poverty and current health conditions make it impossible for people in their communities to accept the responsibility of a microloan. Despite the need for microcredit in countries where we once operated, or where we wish to operate, local conditions that serve to increase poverty thwart our best efforts.

Ethiopia is one of the many African countries where persistent issues such as a lack of safe access to clean water prevent GLOBE from lending a helping hand. Only 42% of the population there have steady access to clean water, and only 11% have access to sanitation, with rural areas impacted by climate change suffering the most. The rural Sayo District recently experienced a drought that caused the water table to fall dramatically, forcing people to drink contaminated water from the same streams and ponds that are used by wild animals. These unsanitary sources of water also are often very far away from the village, and many women and girls spend upwards of 2-3 hours a day just to fetch water!

Although the situation in Ethiopia is dire, it is not going unnoticed. The Daughters of Charity and International Project Services -- a nonprofit organization set up to assist the Daughters in low-resourced countries and represented on our GLOBE Steering Committee -- are actively working in Ethiopia to help people get access to clean water through a CDC program called WASH (signifying the three pillars of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene). This program is dedicated to successfully providing a consistent supply of water for the Sisters’ hospital, school and residence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We are raising funds to help and ask for your support. Every dollar you donate to our campaign, #WASHtheGLOBE, will go to the WASH project, helping to secure water systems for the people of Ethiopia. This in turn can pave the way for a healthy community that may be able to engage in entrepreneurial activities down the road.

We thank you in advance for your generous donations and your compassion for those living in poverty. Together we can make a difference.