Providing Water Wheels to Struggling Families in India
Our desire to make a positive contribution to communities has inspired us to partner with Wells on Wheels, a non-profit organisation that makes clean water more accessible to vulnerable women and children from impoverished backgrounds. As soon as we heard about this initiative we knew we wanted to be part of it.
What is the need for Wells on Wheels?
Whilst wells in rural India are now more accessible than they were 20 years ago, it is still not unusual to see women carrying water in a metal pail balanced on their heads. Children, too, are tasked with walking in heat of up to 40 °C to fetch water in this way – sometimes they are as young as seven years old. These typical water-carrying methods, however, bring with them physical loading that has the potential to cause injury, lead to musculoskeletal disorders, such as neck or back pain, and risk disability.
In terms of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6, access to clean water is a fundamental and unassailable human right that must be made available to all. With women and children shouldering this time-consuming responsibility of water collection in these rural communities, they don’t have the opportunity to work or attend school. Our partnership with Wells on Wheels positively impacts these rural communities through an innovative water wheel that eases the burden of water collection in rural India.
How does Wells on Wheels work?
The water wheel is a large round water drum with handles, and is capable of transporting five times as much water as the ordinary pails used by rural villagers in India. It is designed to be rolled on the ground instead of being carried and allows for easy pouring and cleaning. This effective water collection method frees up valuable time for rural villagers as fewer trips are required to water wells. Moreover, this eases the societal and physical burden placed upon these women and children for necessary water collection.
What is the impact of Wells on Wheels?
By using Wells on Wheels’ innovative water carrier, women can easily collect water and still go to work while children now have the time to attend school, breaking the vicious cycle of poverty that trap families in these rural communities.
Our Contribution to Wells on Wheels
1st Financial Foundations is committed to lifting the burden facing women and children in rural India. Through our partnership with Wells on Wheels, we aim to create an environment of opportunity where children can attend school and women can find work. We do this to help break the cycle of generational poverty that they experience.
1st Financial Foundations commits to donating 1 water wheel to a vulnerable family of 5 in rural India. By choosing 1st Financial Foundations, Independent Financial Advice, you can play your part in uplifting impoverished families in rural communities.
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