This photograph was taken by our media team during one of our borehole launch events in a rural Ghanaian community. At first glance, it is just a photo with a group of kids, with some smiling, some looking reflective, and some just still sitting quietly in the dust. However, this image does not talk about where these kids had come from, what they had been through, or what they are still expecting to become.
Some of these kids may have not eaten a 'full meal' for days. Others may have lost their parents or may not even have been inside a classroom. A few of them even walked barefoot just to be there. And still, they are sitting together enjoying each other's company. It seems hard to believe that this is in fact their retrospective, and all the harder to tell those stories without tears.
Watching this video later on brought me back all the emotions that @mcsamm and myself deeply understand, because we lived in those circumstances. When we were kids, water was not readily available, we dealt with hunger, we dealt with long walks, and we dealt with hardships - being forgotten by the world at large. That's part of the reason every time we reach out to a community, we do so with our whole heart. To know what it feels to be forgotten is the heaviest emotion.
Through our work - especially drilling boreholes across different regions in Ghana - we have had the opportunity of witnessing the real suffering of many people every day. We have seen mothers carry heavy buckets on their heads from dirty streams. We have seen children skipping school to go collect water for the family. We have seen tears of joy and smiles of relief when clean water begins flowing from the water well.
But we have done a lot even beyond the boreholes. We don't speak of the things we do behind the scenes too often. We have supported schools with books and learning materials. We have fed hungry children. We have paid hospital bills for those with no hope. We have mentored young boys and girls that needed to have some hope in themselves once again. We have helped other secure employment. Sometimes all it takes is a small act of humanity to lift someone out of their darkest day.
Every single time we go back to these communities, we are reminded of what real impact means. The impact is not numbers nor praise, it is in the little girl who smiles again... It is in the boy who can now go to school... It is in the mother who can provide her child with clean water.
So when you look at this picture, remember to look beyond the surface.
Look for the strength. Look for the hidden struggles. Look for the dreams that need to be supported. What this image does not say is the whole story. But we have seen it. We have felt it. And that is why we will never stop empowering others in ways possible and never stop hoping for better days for these beautiful kids. Because sometimes, stories of strength are not visible... they are only felt.