by Celina Trujillo
With the summer’s heat comes the usual concerns about our kids and their hydration. Are they drinking enough so they’re not getting dehydrated? Are they drinking from glass or stainless steel, non-leaching, BPA-free containers, so they’re not ingesting harmful plastics that will lead to developmental problems?
The worries seem endless.
Meanwhile, a mother just like me who lives halfway across the globe in Liberia, Africa, is also worried about her children and their drinking water. Just like me she has two young sons and is pregnant with her third: a girl, but she doesn’t know that yet like I do.
She’d be very excited about that news, too, because it means she’ll eventually have a helper to do the “women’s work” of fetching the family’s daily supply of water from the closet creek. This involves walking between five and 15 minutes one way with her youngest strapped to her back and an empty bucket on her head.
The trip back home takes longer, and is a heck of a lot more tiring, because that bucket is loaded with water. To make matters worse, that creek is known to be the cause of frequent outbreaks in her village of water-borne illness like cholera and diarrhea, especially among the children. You can imagine this mother’s overwhelming concern when there is no other option for drinking water.
So the Cliff Notes version is that these mothers in Liberia are lugging gallons of dirty water to their own homes in their attempt to provide a basic need for their families. How humbling does it seem, then, that those of us (like Carla and me) who have joined in Amy’s challenge of “A Year Living with Less” are lugging 18-gallon blue Rubbermaid tubs of useless junk from our own homes in an attempt to just live more simply?
Well, thanks to the Clean Water Garage Sale there’s a solution to both these very important challenges; it perfectly pairs our own need to get rid of our junk while raising money to dig wells for clean water in villages in Liberia.
Get rid of your "Living With Less" purge items and help build a well in Liberia but donating your unwanted stuff to the Clean Water Garage Sale. Photo courtsey of Celina Trujillo
It all began two years ago when a small group (of mostly women, mostly moms) from Quest United Methodist Church raised over $1,300 (of $1,500 needed) from selling their and other people’s stuff to help fund the digging of a well for the village of Wazon, Liberia. Since then the church has helped raise the rest of the funds to dig that well, plus an additional well in Zoegar Town, Liberia.
For the most recent Clean Water Garage Sale in Urbana on July 24th, about a dozen Chambana moms helped in some way: By donating or collecting items, cleaning, sorting, and pricing them, or even just buying them. We’re happy about the over $600 we raised, but we are dedicated to raising the full $1,500 for a complete well.
We still have a lot of great stuff to sell and a lofty goal to meet, so we’re giving it another go on Friday, August 6 from 8am to noon, and Saturday August 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3916 Aberdeen Drive in Champaign.
We could use any of the support as listed above. If you want to donate your “Living with Less” items, you can contact Celina (celina.trujillo@gmail.com). If you’re interested in shopping, you’ll want to come early to get your hands on the numerous baby and kids items we already have (clothes for 50-cents a piece, car seats for $10, a pack-n-play for $15, numerous toys, a preschool desk, and more). You frugal Chambanamoms won’t want to miss the 1 p.m. $1 a bag sale on Saturday.
And, there are free ice pops to keep your kids entertained while you shop.
Last time I scored a brand new pink stainless steel water bottle for $2 for my baby girl. I can’t believe someone found this useless to them. Well, good for them for purging it from their house! It was also great to know that my purchase would keep my daughter safe from BPA sippy cups while also help another mom’s daughter in Liberia have safe and clean water just steps away from her own home.
Born a raised a Jersey girl, Celina Trujillo came to Champaign-Urbana as an undergrad and never left. Many of the loves of her life are here including her college-sweetheart-turned-husband (plus his family. Yes, she loves her in-laws), 2 energetic sons, a church of authentic people, the most perfect job at the U of I and all this in pretty much the cutest little mini-city ever! Even as a young girl, she’s had a passion for social justice, being a critical thinker and trying to make a small difference in the world.
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Great Article Celina! Thanks for your dedication to the cause – you and Jamie inspire me daily! xo
Just took a peek at the sale and things are going great! Shoppers update: Pack-n-plays are gone, but there’s the rest of children’s items and more keeps coming! One of those push/ride on toys for new walkers, a little-tikes desk perfect for a preschooler, Thomas bed sheets, and lots of toys. There’s still 2 full tables of kids clothes and shoes for 50 cents. Lots of girls 5T and smaller, and boys 24 months and smaller, a tub of gender neutral infant clothes and linens. I spied some pretty nice mommy clothes too for $1 and I was impressed with the quality of items. Come shop!
In case anyone was checking back here for an update on the Clean Water Garage Sale, we raised $1395.55! Thanks for all your help and support that came in many different ways.