This morning, I woke up to our water in the apartment being shut off for some repairs in the building. I hadn't had a chance to freshen up, brush my teeth or use the bathroom.  

As I waited for the water to be turned back on, I was reminded of how blessed we are to have water at the tip of our fingers. At any given moment, we can just walk to any faucet and turn the water on. We don't have to walk for miles, wonder if we will have water today, or worry about our health due to the lack of clean water.

Access to clean water is not always a simple proposition for families and communities in the Horn of Africa region (East Africa). In many parts of the region, the lack of adequate infrastructure to meet sustainable water solutions has caused much suffering, not to mention the ongoing cycle of drought and flooding caused by the effects of climate change. 

So women and children are often required to walk miles each day to fetch water from the nearest collection point for household and agricultural needs. These long walks put women and children at risk for violence or attack from wildlife, as well as preventing opportunities to pursue work or school. Furthermore, water collected from these distant locations is not always potable water and can lead to diseases, miscarriage, and even death sometimes.

In life, we are constantly reminded of our blessings, and we have a choice to listen to those reminders.