World Water Day

 Dear Friends,

We hope you and yours are all doing well. Today is World Water Day, a day to focus our attention on the importance of clean water. Sadly, billions of people around the world don't have access to clean water. "Up to 80% of illnesses in the developing world are linked to inadequate water and sanitation" (Government of Canada). Clean accessible water not only improves the health of individuals and communities it helps to improve the environment, reduce poverty and is essential to helping people survive.

For the past 10 years, K.I.D.S. has made it our priority to bring clean water to schools and communities. Each year we build as many clean drinking water systems as we can. We build them at schools, so children and teachers have free access to clean water daily. Most people have to buy drinking water, which many can't afford. Thanks to K.I.D.S. donors, families and community members can come to the school and fill their water jugs so their families can drink safe water at home.

This past year K.I.D.S. was able to build four more clean drinking water systems for rural schools and communities. When we visit the schools to see the new systems, we are met by hundreds of students and the teaching staff. They are incredibly grateful and always ask us to pass their gratitude on to you!! We also want to acknowledge and thank Kim Thol (K.I.D.S. water project manager) and the clean drinking water team that builds these very effective systems. K.I.D.S. is also committed to making sure that the water systems are maintained and repaired when needed.

So today, when you go to the tap for that glass of water, please think about the thousands of people that you have helped to be able to do the same.
Wishing you and yours all the very best.

Till Next Time
Adrianne and Rick

International Women's Day

 Dear Friends,

Today is International Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate women around the world by acknowledging their achievements and also a day to recognize the struggles women face, especially in developing countries. K.I.D.S. is dedicated to improving the lives of girls and women through education, opportunity, empowerment, technology and improving health care.

Through our educational programs, we support education by providing daycare/kindergartens, after-school tutoring, English lessons, computer programs, computers and post-secondary training. Watching these girls go through school and still support their families by doing part-time work as well as helping care for siblings is inspiring.

Where normally, by a young age, they would have dropped out of school, they are now young adults and have decent jobs/careers in hotels, accounting, teaching, and electrical engineering. Without an education, these girls would be having children in their mid to late teens and spend the rest of their lives toiling to help feed their families.

When we visit their mothers in the villages, they are incredibly grateful that their daughters have been able to have a better life, and as well they can help their mothers out financially once they get established in good-paying jobs.

We remember asking one of the girls KIDS was sponsoring to go to university… Do you want to get married? And she said: First I want a degree, then find a good job and help my family and then I will think about getting married and having children; and so the cycle of illiteracy and poverty is broken.!!
Thank you for supporting and changing these Girls' / Women's lives.Happy International Women's Day!!!!
Until Next Time,Adrianne and Rick