If you have followed my Tour Divide rides the past 3 years you know that there is a purpose for the rides. After my first ride from Banff Alberta to Antelope Wells Mexico I saw the luxury that we as Americans have in water in our everyday lives. We turn on the tap and out comes the most necessary thing to maintain life - clean water. Traveling down the continental divide 2753 miles, much of the route is in dry, desolate regions where water is scarce.
Being familiar with Living Water International http://www.water.cc Their approach is pretty simple
1. Access to water - It’s about installing the right systems, which might mean water wells, rainwater harvesting, protected springs, or something else entirely.
2. Sanitation - Once communities have access to safe, sustainable water, they can improve their sanitation, dramatically raising their quality of life—improving health, increasing school achievement, and multiplying productivity.
3. Hygiene Promotion - Education is important—helping people understand how to prevent diseases by washing their hands, storing their water properly, and using a latrine.
4. Christian Witness - Our concern is for whole people—physical and spiritual. As followers of Jesus, we know that he has the power to transform people, restore relationships, and heal factors that lead to poverty, hunger, and thirst.
5. Sustainability - For all of these things to be effective for the long term, we have to involve the community from the very beginning.
In 2016 friends and family supported the effort to drill a well in India. Today, the well is providing clean drinking water for the community.
Today's wells cost $6500 to drill a well in India. Fortunately there is a matching gift to match your gift up to the cost of a new well. Basically, let's drill a well for half price!
I hope you will follow along on the ride this year. You can follow my progress at http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide18i.php?name=Marty_Johnson This year I am starting at the border at Antelope Wells and heading up the divide to Banff. Also check out my blog at www.bucketride.bike
I hope you will consider helping the effort in providing water to those less fortunate.
Thank you,
Marty Johnson
