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Writer's pictureJason Townsell

May 2022 Water Project Update

Updated: May 5, 2022

We have reached the water project mid-year. Though we have not yet reached the middle of the calendar year, we have reached the start of our annual project hiatus. The project hiatus is due to the beginning of the rainy/wet season in the region in Nigeria where we work. Drilling in saturated soil is not ideal and can lead to various construction and maintenance problems; thus, we avoid it. The wet season begins around mid-May and typically goes through July/August. We will resume our work after the wet season. So far this year, we have completed seven water projects and anticipate completing five to seven projects after the wet season. The completed projects are as follows.


To complete five to seven water projects in the second half of the year, we will need to raise the necessary funds (which currently range from $4,250 to $5,000 per water project depending on the borehole depth and location of the community). We rely on our partners to enable this need. Over the last few years, our partner support has significantly increased, which has allowed for a considerable increase in water project volume. The amount of support has not only increased; support methodology has become more innovative and community-driven. A recent example is Nathan Longcrier, the co-founder and Lead Athletic Trainer at BAM Fitness in Norco California. Nate has combined his love of ultramarathon running with his passion for helping people by committing to run a 100-mile race for clean water. Below is an excerpt from Nate's fundraising page, and here is a link to the page.


It's time for a comeback! It has been five years since I last ran a 100-mile ultramarathon, so I am running the Nanny Goat 100-mile race on May 28, 2022, to raise money for Partners for Water.

My goal is to raise enough money to fund two borehole wells to help provide clean water to about 1,000 people. I'm looking to raise $100 for every mile I run/walk/crawl, but no matter what, I will reach that 100 miles because what these people are living with every day will continue to motivate and push me across the finish line.



Why We Do What We Do


In reflecting on the journey, Nate is about to embark upon, I couldn't help to try to unpack the "why." Why would someone run 100 miles for someone else? I could have quickly asked Nate why he was doing it, but my contemplation was more philosophical than practical (I also know Nate, and I think I know why he is doing it without asking him). I came to several reasonable and appropriate conclusions; these include but aren't limited to purpose, passion, and love. In further extrapolating this, I added obligation to the list.


Obligation may not seem like an obvious motivation to do something so strenuous when no one is making you do it, and it is not your direct responsibility to do (most people wouldn't run 100 miles even if they were handsomely paid to do it, let alone doing it for free and donating any proceeds to bring water to strangers). But, when you are gifted (i.e., capable) and burdened (i.e., weighed down) with a calling to effect change with your life, the question isn't as much "why" as it is "when" and "what." Burdens are funny in that they can be a frustrating encumbrance while simultaneously being the north star of your existence. When I think about the burdens that have been placed on me, I can't help but be glad for their presence in my life and thankful for the honor of carrying them.

Henry David Thoreau famously penned the following "pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence." As I am sure is the case with Nate and so many of our partners, I aspire to live these words every day.


JT





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