Zambia

Some of the kids in my youth group back home have been organizing a concert to raise money for Active Water. This organization raises money to build sand filters for families in Zambia. Without these filters, people are forced to drink dirty, unsafe water. 

Crazy: Sometimes, the women in Zambia have to walk six miles to get even water. They have no other options. Often, the water they get is still unsafe to drink. A sand filter costs about $75. The average American spends twice that amount per month on FAST FOOD (FinancialNut, 2008). Seriously, isn't there a better way we can spend our money?


Crazier: 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water.  That's approximately 1 out of every 8 persons on earth. (UNICEF/WHO Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation, 2008)


Craziest: Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. (United Nations Human Development Report, 2006)

Pretty sobering stuff, huh? It definitely is, but at the same time, I am so pumped about the Zambia Benefit! I'm extremely proud of the kids for taking the initiative to do something bigger than themselves. They have amazed me with the time and dedication they're putting into planning this event. This is a chance to show people what faith in action looks like. It's not about us, or who WE ARE; rather, it's all about who WE ARE WITH, and that is a God who changes lives. 


Call me crazy, but I believe in a God who can use three high schoolers to change the lives of hundreds of people in Zambia. 


Data and photos provided by Pamela Crane, Barak Bruerd, and Victor Huckabee of BWM, as well as photos submitted by Tam Faller.