In January this year, Rachel McLennan and I visited 29 schools and 12 villages which have received water tanks in the past year in the Dry Zone of Central Myanmar. This country, governed by a military which has a reputation for its repression of minorities, especially the Rohingya, does little to improve the lives of those living in the more remote villages. The villages and schools have to collect drinking water from ponds and rivers which is time-consuming and often unhealthy.
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Six years ago I started Living Water Myanmar which has a team of builders who construct large concrete water tanks to collect the monsoon rains or water from the village bores should the water be drinkable. My hope was for 100 tanks to be built but through the generosity of hundreds of donors, many of them from Inverell and surrounding districts, I saw the completion of the 204th tank on the last day of my visit and there is still a long waiting list. A careful tally of all the schoolchildren, teachers and villagers who have received clean drinking in the past year is an amazing 12, 924.
Due to climate change, the rainy season has been shorter in recent years but unseasonable rain in January this year meant the all the tanks were refilled. It was a special joy to see the school children drinking clean water which those of us in the developed world just take for granted.
The project which comes under the auspices of the Global Development Group means all donations are tax-deductible. All donations are gratefully received and can be sent through the Global Development Group webpage (adding Living Water Myanmar J812N) or by contacting me by phone 0402531844.
Thanks again to all who have supported this project over the years – you have made such a difference to lives of so many in this tiny impoverished corner of our world.
For more information and to participate in future projects of this kind, please call 0402531844.
