$ 4,000 at Gasi spring.

It doesn’t look at all like a spring, but it is. Currently it’s a mud pit, visibly contaminated by human feet and animal feces. But at the eye of Gasi spring, for only a split second before mixing with the muck, the water comes out of the ground clean and clear. Pristine.
Yet instead of getting at that pristine water, the women and children of Gasi huddle with yellow and blue Jerry Cans to gather the deadly mix of contaminated water you see here.

But not for much longer.

This is not an appeal for money, but rather a heartfelt thank you for making new water projects like Gasi possible. Through both large and small donations, you’ve allowed us to make a real impact now in 10 countries.
You didn’t have to read our emails, you didn’t have to look at photos or videos. And you didn’t have to help. But you did.
Thank you for caring. Thank you for helping.

* * *

charity: water has committed to fund 70 clean water projects in Ethiopia through A Glimmer of Hope in 2008. Most are freshwater wells, and a few are spring protections like the one at Gasi. By the end of 2008, we’ll have 100 water projects in Ethiopia. When completed, they’ll serve more than 50,000 people. Perhaps a drop in the bucket here, where almost 45 million lack clean water, but radically important and life-changing to those 50,000 people.

- Scott Harrison