Mary is a 12-year-old girl in Sikirar, Kenya. She has to walk for hours every day to collect water for her family to use for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

She wishes she could go to school instead.

A clean water system has been installed near Mary’s home. She no longer has to fetch water every day!

Mary is thankful that she can now attend school—even though she must walk a far distance to get there since there isn’t one close to her home.

A new school has just been built in Sikirar. Mary has made some good friends at school who live in her own community. She also has more time to do homework and is learning so much in school!

Mary’s favourite subjects are science and math. Her teacher tells her she has the best grades in her class.

Sometimes, Mary gets sick because there’s no hand-washing station at her school. She hates to miss class, because she loves school. Mary reads everything she can get her hands on!

Mary has proudly graduated from elementary school! A hand-washing station was just installed in her school, so all the new students, like her younger siblings, can wash their hands and stay healthy.

A new secondary school has been built in Mary’s community that she will be attending—the first girl in her family to do so. Her parents are very proud!

Mary is a leader in Sikirar and dreams of becoming a doctor.

Gregorio lives in San Miguel, Ecuador. He turned eight this year. Gregorio has fallen victim to a recent outbreak of cholera in his village. His family gets their water from a contaminated stream nearby- the only community water source for drinking, cooking and doing laundry.

Recently, Gregorio went to the clinic in a nearby town to get some medicine. He hopes to get better soon.

A brand new clean water system has been installed in San Miguel! Gregorio now has access to clean water and does not get sick as often as before.

Gregorio is an active boy and enjoys playing soccer on the grassy field in his village. He wishes that more of his friends could come out and play too, but many of them are sick from dirty water.

Gregorio goes to school nearby in San Miguel. More clean water systems have been built in his community, so he and his friends miss less school and have more time to play soccer together.

Recently, a safe, new playground was installed for Gregorio and his friends to play on.

Sometimes Gregorio and his friends still get sick because their school does not have a proper hand-washing station.

A hand-washing station has been built in his school. Now Gregorio and his friends go to the playground more often to play soccer. Gregorio wishes the girls would come out to play and attend school more often, but because their school lacks proper latrines, girls often stay home.

Since latrines have been built in their school, all the boys and girls have been in attendance. Gregorio is ecstatic because now all his friends come out to learn and play with him.

A school kitchen and dining hall are currently being constructed to promote healthy eating practices among students. This means Gregorio is also learning more about nutrition and healthy ways of handling food.

Leela (not pictured here) is a mother of two in Kamoda, India. Leela’s husband, Motilal, has a job in Jaipur, six hours away, as there are no employment opportunities in the community. Every day, Leela leaves her children home, hoping no harm will come to them, while she walks for hours to their nearest water source. This important chore barely leaves enough time to do any other work.

A new hand pump has been built in Leela’s community, so she can now spend less time fetching water and more time with her young children.

Food is scarce, and she hardly knows how they will get by, even with the small amount her husband sends from Jaipur.

Leela now participates in an alternative income program which allots her a goat. Other community members in the program receive buffalo and chickens which they breed for income and for milk.

The community sells goat, buffalo milk and eggs from the chickens to get by.

Leela has recently joined a women’s group with others who are participating in alternative income programs. They meet once a month to share financial literacy tips and best practices for running a business. Leela is saving up enough money to pay for her children’s education.

Leela’s children attend school in the community and are each doing well in their class. She is a leader in her community and oversees three women’s groups, teaching women financial literacy and best practices for saving their hard-earned money.

Kamoda is thriving and women like Leela have started their own business. Leela’s husband, Motilal, has even found a job in their community which pays less than the one in the city, but allows him to be with his family full-time.

Mama and Baba Langat have three kids: Felix, Viola, and Henry. They live together in Oloosiyoi, Kenya. In their region, food has always been scarce, but the recent drought caused crops to fail. The well in the community dried up a while ago. Sometimes the family comes by some vegetables or grain, but there is no water to clean or cook the food with.

A new borehole was built in the community. A water kiosk that sources water from the borehole has been installed near the family’s house.

The new water source provides them with access to clean water for drinking, washing and cleaning their food.

The family has planted a small vegetable garden beside their house. Thanks to the new water source, the garden is in full bloom, and the family eats well almost every day. Sometimes they must share their food with other families because without a school or community garden, there isn’t enough food for everyone.

A second borehole has been installed in the community! A pipe from the borehole will irrigate a new school garden that has just been planted. Farmers are also being trained on best practices for irrigation and crop management. More kids from the community are attending school.

Fields are lush and crops are bountiful. Farmers are using sustainable agricultural methods in the school garden that is now ready for harvesting, and the region’s abundance is attracting more families to the thriving community. Fewer people are travelling outside Oloosiyoi to purchase goods and supplies because the community is self-sustainable.