Almost 20 years after participating in a “life changing” mission trip, providing a sustainable water source to a village in Guatemala, Haliburton resident Rebeka Borgdorff is preparing to make new memories with her family after planning a similar expedition next spring.
The Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) teacher will travel to Guatemala again in February, flanked by husband Graham and her three children – Annabelle, 16, Isaac, 14, and Gideon, 13. The family will spend a week drilling a water well for a small community outside San Antonio Palopo in the impoverished Central American nation.
The project is one of many under the Water Ambassadors Canada umbrella to be completed next year. Founded by Haliburton residents Barry and Heather Hart in 2002, the organization has led more than 1,000 water projects over the past two decades, helping more than 500,000 people from 25 countries.
The Harts, Rebeka, and Annabelle were joined by 20 others for a water walk fundraiser at Glebe Park Oct. 14. The event raised the $14,000 needed to pay for the well.
“Contaminated water is the biggest cause of death and disease in the world, yet it’s the easiest problem to fix – you just have to give people clean water,” Barry told The Highlander. “About a billion people drink swamp water out of ponds and puddles every day. So, we do what we can to help these people, provide for them, and provide for their children.”
Participants were asked to complete several circuits of the Glebe Park trail on Saturday to emulate the distance, between four and six kilometres, millions of people travel daily to collect water for their family. Some carried water jugs and other items to duplicate the weight of those buckets.
“A five-gallon bucket of water is about 50 pounds – that’s the same weight as a checked bag at the airport. For people in Haliburton, that would be like walking to Donald while carrying all that extra weight,” Barry said. “It’s often women and children making these trips – so kids can’t go to school, do chores, or even play. And the worst part is that the water isn’t clean. It’s not safe to drink.
“Giving folks a potable water source near home is just about the greatest gift you can give. It resolves so many issues,” Barry added.
David Lowry participated in the weekend event alongside his wife, Ann. He said they’ve been long-time supporters of Water Ambassadors.
“It’s an amazing organization. We live in a part of the world where we take clean water for granted. We have so much fresh water all around us. I connected with Barry about seven years ago and his mission really resonated with me. I can’t think of a better cause than raising money to help people have access to clean drinking water,” Lowry said.
Prior to their weeklong well build in Guatemala, the Borgdorffs will be spending a week in Colombia, where they will help to build a new school. They are fundraising for their portion of the two-week adventure, slated at around $17,000. For Rebeka though, the money is secondary – her primary focus is on setting an example for her children.
“Helping people who, perhaps, are not as fortunate as we are, is a remarkable, lifechanging experience. We want to show our kids how others live in the world, what their needs are, and how they can help,” Rebeka said. “We want to do what we can to spread some love around the world.
“Helping people who, perhaps, are not as fortunate as we are, is a remarkable, lifechanging experience. We want to show our kids how others live in the world, what their needs are, and how they can help,” Rebeka said. “We want to do what we can to spread some love around the world.
