River's Edge Rural Pignon Haiti: bathing, washing clothes, heaven forbid human consumption - My trip in 2008

I have traveled to China, Mexico, and Haiti; three countries in this world of ours where visitors are told not to drink the water. While there are vast ranges to these countries and their water contamination issues, there are limited safe areas to find clean drinking water. When traveling, we were privileged to be coached about water issues, given bottled water in some cases, and carried medication and sanitizer with us. Again, we were privileged, and we have never gotten sick while traveling to even the most remote areas.

I believe it is a basic human right to have safe drinking water for people to access. Having seen the basic needs of people and orphans, my head and heart remind me daily to remember the people and places I’ve seen. I’ve been blessed with experiences that I can’t ignore. I’ve touched people, held orphans, exchanged smiles, and taken photos,  so they are not faceless, nameless people who work hard everyday to survive. In fact, we have framed photos around our home of these beautiful people.  I know that somewhere in the rural areas of China, my daughters’ birth mothers and fathers, grandparents and siblings live. Do they have safe water to drink?

People we love all over the world have touched our hearts. That’s why I am passionate about safe water projects in Haiti and China. This is an amazing article highlighting a new frontier in China’s orphanages; a clean drinking water filtration system in EVERY orphanage in China. This is unimaginable, yet it is happening.

Local Water Supply Room Beijing China: Not the areas seen on the news during the olympics; shared water, shared showers and toilets for many families - My trip in 2008

My husband and I remain very involved in Haiti Outreach, looking forward to future trips and ways to help our children travel and get involved. What are you passionate about? What inhabits your mind, continually making you think? Share with us.