Living Water

Walking up a hill—really, walking anywhere other than our refrigerators or kitchen sinks—to fetch a pail of water may seem like the stuff of nursery rhymes, but in rural Africa, countless hours are spent each day fetching water from distant (and often polluted) sources. Typically, the task of water-gathering falls to the women and children.

When Chris Juhasz began his quest to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, African’s highest peak, he didn’t know that his path would intersect with theirs. He told St. Louis Public Radio that he was “reading some books about mountain climbing” while training for the Chicago marathon. “I was kind of thinking about what’s next?” he said. (Listen to the whole interview here.)

Through his home church, Windsor Crossing in Chesterfield, Missouri, Juhasz became familiar with Living Water and the global water crisis. The more he learned about Tanzania in particular—like the fact that approximately 45 percent of the population lacks access to clean drinking water—the more his quest for Kilimanjaro’s summit became something even greater than a mountain-climbing adventure.

On his blog, Juhasz writes, “I will probably never understand what it’s like to look at a glass of water as a luxury. It is my hope, however, that through my personal struggle of going up Africa’s tallest ‘hill,’ that I will be able to ‘fetch a pail of water’ for those in need. My journey won’t be an easy one, but it pales in comparison to those that face poverty, disease, and death on a daily basis all because of something as simple as lacking clean water to drink.” By climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Juhasz hopes to raise funding and awareness for Living Water; specifically, he wants to raise $16,000 to drill a new well for the people of Tanzania.

After months of training and eager anticipation, on January 5, 2010 Juhasz started his climb. You can follow the story of the climb here. Because Juhasz is paying for the climb himself, any funds raised through his blog or his First Giving page will go toward his goal of funding a new well in Tanzania through Living Water.

UPDATE: Juhasz made it to the summit and back home safely. Read more of his story here.