Buy A Print. Change Lives.

I’m excited to announce that Operation Blessing International is giving away one of my best photos when you give a gift of $25.  It is a limited time offer and only available from the Bless The Children donation page. With your gift, you will receive 3 8×10 prints of Yerramma and Lalitha’s Water Burden.  Keep one for yourself and share the other two with family or friends (or be somewhat selfish and put it in your office).  It can be a conversation starter to let people know that you are passionate about changing lives around the world.

To make a donation to help bless children around the world, visit: www.ob.org/BlessTheChildren

Thank you for helping me make a difference by telling their story.

About the photo:

I met Yerramma and Lalitha in a very remote village in the Khammam District of India.  Operation Blessing International was installing multiple wells in the region and their village of Angargudem happened to be one of them.  Soon after we pulled in, the team was busy inspecting the well site and I happened to wander down a few paths in the village with my translator and saw a group of women gathering their metal buckets to go fetch water.  Several of us from the team wanted to see their current water source and how far the women walked retrieve it.  We walked down narrow paths following the women carrying their empty pots on their heads and children on their hips.  At the end of the path there was a small area where the small stream pooled and the women washed their pots and clothes.  Next to that was a smaller area where they skimmed water for cooking and drinking.  They were very skilled at skimming the dirty water so that it appeared clean – though we know the real problem isn’t visible to our eyes and was actually causing sickness in the village.  After they gathered the water, the heavy pots were stacked on top of their heads and again the children rode back on their hips.  After walking the narrow and winding path back to the village, Yerramma ducked into her house and the small bowl used for skimming the water clanged against the inside of the pot as she struggled to set it on the shelf.  Wearily she looked down as baby Lalitha stared at me and I snapped the picture.

Yerramma knew that the water wasn’t good, but didn’t have any other choices.  She told us that it was very hard for her to carry the heavy pots such a long distance and it gave her pain in her neck and back.  Not only was there the sickness caused by the water, but there were also villagers who lost their lives from snake bites and scorpion stings as they walked the path – something I’m glad I didn’t know before walking the path and standing ankle deep with them in the water.  As we told her about the new well coming close to her home, she was overjoyed.  Three days later, she was there to greet us with a big smile as we dedicated the new well and she filled her first pot of clean water. 

Video of Yerramma’s story:

Photo story:

Young Gangaya looks on as the Operation Blessing team works on a new well for the village of Angargudem.

Yerramma carries Lalitha to the stream where she will gather water for the family.

Women and children arrive at the end of the stream where the water has pooled deep enough for them to wash their pots and skim water.

Women wash their pots in the stream.

Yerramma takes a break from filling her pot to give Lalitha a drink of water from the stream on this very hot day.

Women return with pots full of water balanced on their heads.

Carrying the pots on their heads causes neck and back pain for the women in the village.

Yeramma’s pots and dishes sit on a lone shelf on one of the four walls that make up her small home.

Yerramma’s husband returns from the stream after fetching additional water after he returned home from work.

Villagers celebrate at the dedication of their new well provided by Operation Blessing partners.

Yerramma fills her pots with clean water.

Children use their hands to cup the water and bring it to their mouths…and splash each other.

Yerramma’s oldest daughter, Jyothi, enjoys a taste of the new water from the well.

Young Sodi Manesh proudly stands a pot of water she filled to take back to her family.

Don’t forget to make a donation and get your own copy of the print.

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