Walk for Water this Lent

News from CAFOD


“I am wasting my life. I am a young man; I should be doing something else.”

These are hard words to hear. They were spoken by Abdella who lives in an extremely remote and mountainous part of Ethiopia. It is one of the hottest places on earth. He spends nearly all his time collecting water just to keep his family alive. He walks for ten hours a day and is shattered. He has no time to lead the life he wants, he must keep walking.

Abdella tells us: “The journey for water is so long we have to leave early from the village while it is still dark. I feel tired, I feel hungry. It is very boring. It is hard but I have no choice.

 “I walk through the [dried out] riverbed, then climb into the mountains, then down into a valley, then climb another mountain to finally get to the water.”

Abdella is 23 and he has big dreams. He dreams of starting a small business. He dreams of starting a family. He knows that if there was water near his home, his family wouldn’t have to worry any more about getting enough to stay alive. And he could start on the dreams he has for the rest of his life.

The church development charity, CAFOD, are working with people in poverty around the world. There are millions of people like Abdella; one in three people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water.

Local CAFOD Coordinator, Therese Warwick, said: “With your help, we can reach out and make a powerful difference to many people. By supporting our Family Fast Day through your parish or school, you are giving hope to many people. Family Fast Day is on Friday 26 February.”

Will you go the extra mile this Lent?

Could you join Abdella and Walk for Water?

Could you take the challenge of 10,000 steps a day throughout Lent to raise awareness and funds? They can be walked, run or even danced if you prefer. Do you know anyone who would like this challenge?

Could you join our Big Walk for Water on Saturday 20 February at 2pm, walking alongside Abdella as part of our virtual event? Could you encourage others to join, your friends, parishioners or family?

Let’s get involved in the fight against poverty. Visit the CAFOD website for more information and to see what you can do.



Ethiopia images photo credit:  Louise Norton/CAFOD

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