The hard fact is that you don't have to go to Africa to find communities that do not have access to clean running water. Right here in the heart of the wealthiest nation on earth that fact is a reality.
We have struggled with this hard truth for years. We have been dealing with the water problems so long that it has become "business as usual" to make the weekly or daily trips to the local grocery store for bottled water. Granted, we are blessed to have running water. On the reservation, running water is not a given. The problem is the reliability of the safety and drinkability of the water that runs out of the tap. Even though all tests of the public water system in our area show that all levels of impurities are "within acceptable limits", we cannot use the water for our medically fragile children.
On a regular basis our teachers, nurses, therapists and residential caretakers, have turned on the tap only to see dark, brackish, acrid smelling water come out. Now, it may not harm a healthy adult, but we certainly cannot use this water for a child with a severely compromised immune system, who requires many different types of medical interventions each day.
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So, we use bottled water. Cases, and cases of bottled water each week. Our staff spends much of their time coordinating water, making sure that there is always bottled water on hand to ensure the health of our children.
Over the years we have investigated options to alleviate or solve the problem, but nothing has come to fruition. Until now... Because now we have George McGraw and the team at Dig Deep on our side.
One of our recent volunteers, who was appalled at our water situation, is a friend of George's. The volunteer called George, who happened to already be doing work on the reservation, and told him our story. George went into action immediately and now it looks like we have a viable solution.
The plan is to install an industrial strength filtration system on our incoming pipes and replace many of our old pipes and sinks that are part of the problem. This will insure that the water that comes out of our taps will be clean, pure, and usable for even the most fragile of our children. NO MORE BOTTLED WATER!
The project will cost $100,000.00. This is a lofty goal and we need to raise the funds by the end of the summer. However, I am confident in your ability to get us there. Over the years, you have been our most dedicated supporters and I know you won't let us down.
Every little bit helps, every gift is precious. Please help our children get the clean water they deserve.