At Waterboys providing clean water to communities in need is at the heart of what we do.
For the past five years, we have played an important role in East Africa by improving access to clean water and sustaining access. Through our relationships in-country and our on-going dialogue with communities and partners, we are continually educating ourselves and adapting our approach – including the location of wells and how they will be constructed and maintained. It’s our experience in Tanzania that deficiencies, needs, and benefits are openly discussed so that we can serve those who need it most.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the domestic water crisis.
Since launching Hometown H20 last year, we have learned a lot.
Did you know that over 2 million Americans have no running water at home, with a disproportionate amount of cases affecting people of color?
Did you know that 30% of people on the Navajo Nation don’t have running water?
Did you know that COVID- 19 is disproportionately affecting the Navajo Nation, which now has the highest infections per capita, ahead of New York and New Jersey?
With more information and a broader understanding of how water access is a social equity issue, we have joined forces with Dig Deep.
DigDeep is a human rights nonprofit working to ensure that every American has access to clean, running water. DigDeep is the winner of the 2018 US Water Prize for its Navajo Water Project. The program, which is Indigenous-led and -staffed, develops wells to pump, treat, and store clean water. Food-grade trucks then deliver to off-grid Home Water Systems inside the homes of hundreds of indigenous families across New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
I firmly believe we must step into the responsibility of doing more – for our neighbors, for those we don’t know, and specifically for people of color who have been overlooked for far too long. My wife Megan and I are personally donating $50,000, and the Foundation is matching another $50,000. This investment will provide water tanks for 200 families affected by COVID-19 and do not currently have any running water at home. In addition, families living in rural parts of the Navajo Nation will have water and electricity installed directly in their homes for the first time ever.
This is a drop in the bucket for the Navajo Nation, but it’s a start.
Will you consider joining us to expand our impact and help someone living without running water at home?
Your contribution will help families on the Navajo Nation directly impacted by COVID-19 who don’t have running water. The funds we raise will support the delivery of equipment, like water tanks, and expand those eligible for water installation in their home.
Times are uncertain. There is no denying that. But we must still show up for each other and do what we can.
Donate now!
Chris Long & The Waterboys Team
