Regina is a 36-year-old mother of five who lives in Zambia’s Sinazongwe district. To provide her family with clean water, she visited her village’s borehole every day until 2018, when the borehole became dysfunctional and stopped providing clean water. At that point, the next closest borehole was 10 kilometres away.
In communities like Regina’s, providing water is generally the responsibility of the women and children of the household. With such a long distance to travel to collect clean water, they were unable to do anything else, including attending school.
When they didn’t have enough clean water, they were forced to collect from unclean sources, and Regina’s household usually suffered from diarrheal diseases. They also faced the risk of contracting trachoma, a painful bacterial disease that can lead to permanent blindness. All this sickness and daily walking took its toll on Regina and her children, and it interfered with her children’s ability to get an education.
In 2020, Operation Eyesight rehabilitated the borehole in Regina’s village, transforming the lives of her and her children. Thanks to donor support of our borehole programs, Regina is able to collect clean water right in her own community. Her children are healthier and can attend school, and she has time to do other things, including working in her vegetable garden.
This Mother’s Day, you can help a mother like Regina provide clean water for her family. Please donate to Operation Eyesight to help prevent blindness and restore sight for women and girls. Every dollar will be used to ensure they get the quality eye health care they need right now, and well into the future. You can choose to make a donation in the name of your own grandmother or mother or another important woman in your life.
