Posts by [email protected]
Abundant Riches: Part I
Sarah Walker recently traveled with Blood:Water on a Vision Trip to see the work of one of our local partners firsthand. In today’s blog, she shares what she experienced when she arrived in Zambia. — Before I went, I thought Africa was poor, and that America had great wealth. And in some ways, that’s true.…
Read MoreWhat a Relief! World Toilet Day is Tomorrow!
Often, because of the urgent need for clean water, the development of best practices in sanitation and hygiene are overlooked. That’s why we are grateful for Blood:Water supporters, such as Allison Boley, who shine a spotlight on the importance of developing proper sanitation and hygiene practices. For the past three years, Allison has hosted her…
Read MoreResponsible Love
“The complexity of responsible love in the name of justice and mercy leaves us with no cheap answers to any of the important questions.” (Steve Garber, “Visions of Vocation”) I keep coming back to this sentence. If I’m lazy, I hit “complexity” and feel overwhelmed and tune out. If I move past complexity and think…
Read MoreA Resident Nerd’s Dream(force)
Whenever someone new walks into our office here at Blood:Water–without fail–I am always identified as the “resident nerd.” Often this label is self-applied, and it is actually true. Spreadsheets, data, back-end coding… I can’t get enough. So when I was asked to go to San Francisco to attend Dreamforce, the annual Salesforce convention, I jumped…
Read MoreKnowledge is Life, Not Books
Elimu ni maisha si vitabu. Knowledge is life, not books. This African proverb perfectly sums up how my experience in Africa, as a student and staff member with Houghton College’s Tanzania study abroad program, shaped why I am passionate about grassroots African development and why I believe in Blood:Water’s work. I could write forever on all…
Read MoreA Handy Innovation in Africa
Today, the average person will touch their phone 2,617 times. We will touch our faces and other communal objects between 3.3-3.6 times per hour (and that is being conservative). Oh, and don’t forget that a swab of most floors will reveal around 230 bacterial species. But, no worries! A quick trip to the nearest faucet…
Read MoreA Collective Vocational Space
“What is it that keeps you awake at night? What is it that gets you up in the morning?” The weekend began with these two deceptively simple questions, and the answers were anything but simple. Thinking through the things that consume our minds to the point where we want to stay awake or get out…
Read MoreJustice, Mercy, Humility…and Coffee (of course) in Portland
The legendary, at least in my mind, trip to Portland, Ore., happened! Technically, the retreat itself was in Vancouver, Wash., but you better believe I made my way to the city for some quality Portland coffee. This summer, when I was interviewing for this internship with Blood:Water, I was told about the retreat we would…
Read MoreA Special Message from Leon: A Red Tie Gala Update
Last year, we were honored to have Leon Mbae, from the Tumaini Medical Center in Isiolo, Kenya, join us for the Red Tie Gala. This year, he has a special message for those who generously gave during last year’s gala: Leon and the staff at Tumaini Medical Center help transform their community and end HIV/AIDS…
Read MoreAddressing Water Shortage in a Desert Community
Bubisa means “windy place.” It is a harsh, desert environment in northern Kenya, where scarce resources like water are critical for survival for the people and their livestock, upon which they depend. In 1954, a borehole was installed in the community, and the population of both people and livestock has been consistently on the rise…
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