Waters From Heaven
WatersFromHeaven
The story about a school and how it changed our lives.
'What is in a name?'
How did we come up with this name? When we first started with the idea for the project our main goal was to provide clean drinking water for the schools. We want to install tanks that will collect rain water during the monsoon months, then store it in these tanks and it can be a source of clean drinking water throughout the year. We felt that this rain is a gift from the heavens to the people and that is how Waters from Heaven came about. The name also reflects all the heavenly gifts and blessings we have received on this journey and the sharing of these gifts and love.
HERE'S THE STORY:
I had recently won a sponsorship from Prilosec OTC. I decided to call this project “Waters from Heaven” as it is a gift from above that is desperately needed for the people of Nepal. My husband, me and another volunteer are leaving in February month to complete our first project.
Nepal has been my passion from the first moment I stepped foot into the dusty border town of Sunauli. I was stranded there for one week due to a strike and was unable to proceed any further. I fell in love with Nepal at that border town, with its people and their generosity. I knew then as I know now that Nepal has something special that takes your breath away and keeps you captivated. Since leaving Nepal in 2005 I had dreamt of giving back to a country that has taught me so much, and never asked anything in return. After my husband and I returned from a visit last year, we knew in our hearts that we needed to assist in any way we could. The communities are experiencing water shortages all over Nepal, and the need for water is increasing. The decided we wanted to assist households and schools to collect rainwater now it could become a reality. We are planning to use the sponsored funds received from Prilosec OTC to purchase water storage tanks. These tanks would allow people to either harvest rainwater during the monsoon time that can then be used throughout the year. Currently people are walking for hours to collect water, leaving very early in the mornings. Through sponsorship and support we want to assist in providing families and schools access to a basic living necessity. We have identified the first school we will work with and are very excited as it will also be our first project. We hope that we can expand this project to assist other schools and communities in the future. Currently families living on the higher elevations have to walk for miles to collect water and carry it back up the mountain. A big percentage of the country is mountains and hills, making transport and assistance to reach these communities very difficult. We believe that after completing our first project successfully, we will be able to reach more sponsors and show them the positive results and the change it has brought to the families and schools.
I have also been collecting school and art supplies from family and friends, which I plan to donate to the school. Many of these school children have never used crayons or any arts and crafts. We have a donor for 60 back packs and there are 160 children in the school. I am planning on bringing art into the schools and give the children an opportunity to dream and be creative expanding their horizons. Each child needs to have the opportunity to dream and I hope that through your support and sponsorship we I can make it happen. I would love to give each child a back pack with school and art supplies. It is a dream which I hope can become their reality.
- Belinda Swank
