Compassionate about the poor    Bill  Mulcahy  (Brisbane)   August 17, 2012    Walk for Water  (4)      Background of Walk for Water

Bill's previous articles www.spiritofthebush.net www.amakagaspiritus.org

This upcoming weekend August 18/19 a group of 15 children and I are undertaking our annual 12-hour Walk for Water. I am passionate about meeting the needs of the world’s poor, always focusing on the compassionate words of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop about ‘doing something about needs’.

Starting from 2009 we have been committed to addressing one water supply need within a community in rural Uganda each year. As adults and teachers we can teach and inform our children about the many kilometres that members of our most marginalised global family in Africa have to walk to collect the basic of life: water. Often this water is of very poor quality causing many preventable diseases. Great stories indeed, BUT, it is another thing to walk the talk. This all began by a group of inspired 11 and 12 year olds who said to me, “well why don’t we walk too?” Can’t argue with this.

And so we walk, individually covering about 30-45kms in the allocated time, with half the distance carrying an empty drum, and the other half carrying drums with either 10Lts up to 20Lts for adults. In these children’s eyes, how can you create awareness of something that you have never experienced? And I totally agree. These children walk in solidarity with the millions of children who walk each day to fetch water. It does not matter to the children that they are helping other children from far away, what matters to them is that they are compassionate in action.

And this, kind readers, is a lesson to us all. I ask you to consider: “How far would you go for a drum of dirty water for your families?” next time you turn the handle of a tap. I will share a video of the walk next time around.