Hi Friend,

My name is Eric Lung’aho Lijodi, and I want to have a conversation with you.

I am the Programs Manager for Friendly Water for the World. I live in Kakamega (Kambiri), Kenya where Friendly Water has our main administrative offices. I have lived here for 25 years. I have 14 children – five of my own and nine others that I care for - and they all attend local schools and colleges. Like you, I am very engaged in my community.

As I walk through my community, I see previous efforts of other well-meaning non-profits and NGOs littering the landscape. Discarded water filters that have clogged and failed, rainwater catchment tanks that don’t hold water, broken bore-hole wells, collapsed latrines, and dangerously uncovered hand-dug wells are all around, evidence of effort, but not success.

This leaves me feeling frustrated. Frustrated at the wasted time, the wasted money, but more than anything else, frustrated that my community received a gift, often unasked for, and without the community involvement, training, management skills, or sustainability plan necessary to make good use of it. This is just not acceptable to me, and it shouldn’t be to you.

I know what it takes for a program to succeed. Not coincidentally, they are the same things that donors like you value. The work must be a positive experience and personally gratifying. It should always be a team effort. It must be something the community itself is committed to. Impacts must be absolutely transparent to everyone, from local volunteer to faraway supporter, so we can see together whether our critical work is having the desired impact.

My job is to ensure that our efforts result in positive – and desperately needed - changes, with measurable outputs and sustainable outcomes. Access to clean water, environmentally sound building, local employment, community control, all of which should be scalable to meet our challenges together. And Friendly Water has proven we can do this.

As I am from western Kenya, this work is very personal to me. I want my kids in their classrooms, not walking for water, as so many are. I want them to become strong leaders, and contributors to our community, our country, and to the world! I want them to be able to wash their hands before eating, and after using the bathroom. I want my neighbors to be gainfully employed, able to keep their kids in school, too. I want to see improvements in community health, and an end to deforestation, and the earth restored. And I want us to stand united in building a common future for all of us.

I am fortunate to know you, if but indirectly, because I know you want the same things. I want you to stand with me, and my kids, and my community so that Friendly Water for the World can expand our life-giving work.

Will you stand with me today by making a donation, utilizing this secure link? https://friendlywater.org/donate/

AND, I would welcome hearing from you – your thoughts, challenges, prayers, or just your good wishes – after all, we are Friendly Water for the World and I am in the business of making friends! I would be honored! Write me at: eric@friendlywater.org. (Note: it may take a couple of days for me to get back to you.)

Pamoja Tunaweza! (Together, we can!)