Those Crazy Africans!

September 27th 2011 by Chloe Sutherland

You know that feeling in the morning, when you wake up and you're so warm in bed that the last thing you can imagine is going for a run? Hell, some days, even the shower seems a bit of an ask...

Weak.

In Kenya, some women get up at 5am just to get water. Ghana is even more hardcore; they get up at 4am. Women in these, and similar countries, need to walk up to 20 km a day to get water. Some of these trips can take as little as five hours, but some take all day and involve multiple trips. Women usually carry more than 25-50kg per trip, a habit which has a tendency to right-angle weaker spines. 1.1 billion people live without improved water supplies.

Their toilets are even worse. You remember that long drop you had at the campsite by the lake? It was dark, smelled, and you had to reach forward and hold the door closed so that creepy kid didn't accidentally walk in.

Luxury. 2.6 billion people live without even a hole in the ground. You're just not roughing it 'til you're crapping on the side of the road or in a bag and tossing it over your shoulder. If you're a nervous poo-er you just have to hold it until you get home.

This isn't one of those sad Save the Children ads. It isn't intended to make you feel bad. But the fact is, these billions of people need help to keep on being as tough as they are. If they get enough assistance, they might be able to put that dedication into other things, like an education, or setting up a business.

Now's your chance to give them that help. There's a fundraising event on next Monday 5th October (6th October if it rains, or if there's aftershocks, etc.), from 10am to 2pm (6th October if it rains, aftershocks etc.) in front of the Central Library. It's a Bucket Challenge – basically you sponsor us to hold a bucket of water off the ground for a ridiculously long time. There will also be more information about those crazy Africans and the things they have to do to make it through a day alive.

The money raised by the event will go to Engineers Without Borders New Zealand. EWB pretty much goes to islands in the Pacific and helps the communities out with their self-realised needs - they go into a community, ask them what they need, and then help the community realise their goals. They are involved in design, fundraising, and construction of the projects they are involved with. Currently they have a project going in Ambae Island, Vanuatu where they're working to get the first flushing toilets on the island.

Contact EWBbucketchallenge@gmail.com if you want to be part of the event, or sponsor the cause. Otherwise, come along on the day - at the least, it'll probably be worth a giggle at our expense.

This entire project is for Engineering in Developing Countries which is a Civil Engineering 3rd Pro course. One of the big assignments is this fundraising event. It's probably one of the only courses where you get to make a difference in the world, all in the name of getting a better grade.