Walking in the footsteps of others: Changing perspectives on clean water

Young girls walk for hours to collect water from the Mara River in Kenya

Last April I had the honour of joining the renowned cast of one of my favourite TV shows, Degrassi:The Next Generation. As one of eight new characters on the show, I have been given the chance to make a dream of mine a reality.

Joining the cast of Degrassi as the character Sav Bhandari, changed my life in so many positive ways. I have much more confidence and have been able to find fulfillment through this amazing art form, but last summer, during a hiatus from filming, Degrassi changed my life in a way that I would have never imagined.

In August of 2007, Degrassi teamed up with Free The Children to go on a trip to Kenya to help build a school for underprivileged children. I jumped at the chance to visit Africa. I knew I would see poverty, but I had been to poor countries as a child and didn’t think I could be surprised by much.

Arriving in Kenya, I realized how wrong I was. I saw first-hand the poverty, inequality and injustices I had long heard about.

One morning I decided to join the mamas and girls of the community on one of their daily walks to the Mara River. Because of the lengthy four-hour walk to reach the river, the girls were unable to attend school, but the responsibility of collecting water was so important – needed for the family to drink, bathe and cook with – there seemed no other choice.

I couldn’t believe what I saw as I approached the river. Its colour was dark and dirty, looking more like coffee or chocolate milk than water. Sadly, the communities of the Maasai Mara rely solely on this contaminated river for survival. I learned that the cures for many of these waterborne diseases were available in wealthier countries, but Kenya and many other African countries were unable to afford them.

Walking back from the river I was overcome by a sick feeling. Watching the mothers and daughters hunched over under the weight of the dirty water they carried, I became angry at myself for being so blind to the problems of my global family and angry at the world governments for not taking action to correct these wrongdoings.

I felt demoralized and helpless, until I learned of all the amazing actions Free The Children and young people around the world were taking to make a difference. Supporting a Clean Water and Sanitation program, or any of the Adopt a Village campaigns, helps support communities like the ones in the Maasai Mara, enabling children to attend classes and providing communities with clean sources of water.

When I returned home to Canada I realized I would never treat water the same way again. It is the life source of everything on Earth and it’s our duty to ensure that we don’t take it for granted. I began taking staggered showers and quickly fixing leaky faucets to conserve water wherever I could and spreading the word about the conditions in Africa. I will never forget what I learned from my experience in Kenya, and the many amazing, hardworking young women who showed me how fortunate I truly am.  

Raymond Ablack
Outreach Coordinator

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.