Everything Under The Sun: Empowerment From Water

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Empowerment From Water

Members of the Rotary Club visiting a water kiosk that their donations helped to build.

Water is vital. Just that one word, vital, describes the place that water holds in our lives. It is life-giving and life-saving. It only takes three days without any water for a person to die. That's how vital water is.

In some cultures and countries, there is a lack of indoor plumbing. That means that the day's water needs to be fetched from the river to the home in buckets or other receptacles, and women must return again to clean the dishes after the family meal. Traditionally, that task has fallen to women. That is true for women in less developed areas of Kenya.

Sydney Gray met some of those women and grew to love them. As a storyteller and collaborator, she was in a position to spread the word about their lives and how much time and effort it takes for them to gather water. Brian Manning has a talent for communicating. Because his family was so mobile during his younger years, he has experienced many different types of communities. This twosome came together and formed MAMA MOJI, an organization that brings New Orleans and Kenya together in a common effort.

This organization has become a conduit for women from both areas to share information, resources, discoveries, tools, and funding. Instead of being a barrier to women's participation in mainstream life, water would become a way to empower those women.

Traditionally, in Kenya the women were the transporters of water, a burden and barrier to full participation. Men did the thinking and developed new processes. So, when Mama Moji came into the picture, it was to teach the women during community training sessions. Now, it was the women who were leading the development of new water project advancements. According to Ms. Gray, "water can transform the lives of women around the globe."

And that takes us back to New Orleans. There, Moma Moji holds seminars for local women, to train them to change the lives of women in another part of the world. They learn about water and sanitation, but also about public speaking, fundraising, motivating others, and managing nonprofits. They get a chance to work on projects that are international in scope, without having to leave New Orleans. Mama Moji has also developed a Catalyst Fellowship, details of which are on the website, for those who are seeking more in depth knowledge and would like to become involved in programming, marketing, or development.

Kenyan women have traditionally washed dishes in the river.

The overriding concept for both areas involved in Mama Moji is its vision of women as changemakers. In Kenya the program frees women from barriers and in New Orleans it opens up a world of possibility by helping people who need assistance.