When I applied for the CAPS Fellowship this past winter, I already had my sights set on Water to Thrive. I had heard from one Mr. Lars Anderson all about his experience with the organization last summer, and there was something in me that knew that W2T was something that I wanted to be a part of. And of course, a trip to Africa was enticing.

The little kiddos who taught me to dance like the Dorze tribe

Fast forward to June 2. I was feeling perpetually lost and alone in this city where I know no one when I started my first day off strong by going to the wrong office building (thanks Google Maps). The confidence I’d had when applying for this position was slowly diminishing, but as I began to settle into the office and really focus in on my projects for the summer I felt my passion and excitement come bubbling back up.

This feisty little rascal taught me that I’m a “forengi” (foreigner) and I just have to embrace it

Water to Thrive is a non-profit organization based in Austin, TX that funds the implementation of clean water projects in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Our in-country partners are responsible for the site selection and construction of the projects, as well as training the community in order to ensure that the projects are sustainable. My project for the summer is to continue work on a Best Practices Document that was started by Lars and another intern last summer. This document will be used to help communicate the expectations that W2T has for quality and sustainability of their projects. As part of this process, I was asked to travel for 3 weeks to both Ethiopia and Uganda to visit completed and in progress project sites.

A welcome like I’ve never seen before.

In 3 weeks you can meet a lot of (amazing) people, learn a lot about a vast array of topics, and visit a lot of project sites (39 to be exact). You can drive a lot of bumpy roads, kill a lot of bugs, take many bush stops, dance often, laugh a lot, and celebrate the gift of life that is clean water. You can start to get to know and love a culture and a country (or two), but what you can’t do is come home unchanged.

Was it really an internship if you didn’t photobomb your supervisor’s selfie?

It’s hard for us to imagine not being able to turn on the faucet and brush our teeth, or not being able to press a button to wash our clothes. We can’t fathom what it would be like to never have the chance to bathe or shower. We run 5K “fun runs” not realizing that people across the world walk that every day just to get a dirty, yellow, plastic can full of water that may or may not make them ill. We can’t picture “drinking water” with dirt swirling, and worms swimming around. These people can. In fact, that’s all many of them know.

We met women who get beaten because fetching water takes so long that they don’t have dinner ready when their husbands come home. We met children who don’t go to school because they spend their time walking across the village to collect water. We met a woman recovering from typhoid, and women who had lost children to water borne diseases. What W2T does is about so much more than just water. It’s about allowing children to get an education. It’s about allowing women to have the time to pursue other tasks. It’s about giving people a chance at life that many of them may not otherwise have.

Would not have been the same trip without these wonderful humans. What a blessing each of them are!

I can’t put this experience into a few hundred words. In fact, I couldn’t truly capture this experience and what it has meant to me in an infinite number of words, but I can let it change me. I can let it fuel my fire to pursue a future working towards this cause that I’m so passionate about. And I can keep the incredible friendships and memories with me forever.

As I go forward with the rest of my fellowship, I’m excited to put the knowledge that I gained from this 3-week whirlwind adventure to good use. At least for now, I’ve found a niche where my engineering education and my passion for clean water meet, and I intend to take full advantage of this opportunity.