Mothers worry. It’s what they do — just part of the job, they’ll tell you.
This is true all over the world. Everywhere we go, we meet moms who want one thing above all else: for their kids to be healthy. Happy. For them to have a life that’s better and richer with more opportunity than their own.
It isn’t an easy role, anywhere. But in places without clean water, it’s even tougher. Mamie can tell you something about that. She’s experienced motherhood with clean water, and without it. So has her mother, Hawa.
Because the worries of mothers in places like Bevehun, Sierra Leone have long been life-or-death ones. Both remember constant illness, and frequent trips to the clinic. Most times, they were able to keep the worst from happening — but not always.
Happily, those times are in the past for this family. Since clean water began to flow in their community a year ago, Hawa, her daughter Mamie and her six-year-old grandson, Augustine, have all been happier. Healthier.
“I know that the grandchildren will be better,” Hawa told us as the well in Bevehun was tapped. “They will be safe.”
Hawa is equally happy that from now on her daughter’s experience of motherhood will be free from the fear she herself experienced. Not that it’ll be entirely without worry. After all, it’s what moms do.
If you’re interested in seeing more of how clean water has changed motherhood for Mamie, we think you’ll like this video.