The friendship between Lioni and I sort of happened accidentally. My friend was at my house and received a video call. I came over, introduced myself, and joined in on the chat. He said his name is Lioni and he lives in Rwanda. He starts to describe what life is like for him and shows me around. We have been texting and video chatting ever since. He has a son almost the same age as my daughter, which is partially why I felt so connected and eager to help in some way.

Lioni's village is in West Province. He has always fought for change in his community, and the people look to him for answers. Most people in his village have nothing. Literally nothing.

By far, the biggest issue is water. You can see in the photos attached, the holes in the ground where they collect rainwater. When there is no rain, or when the puddles dry out, they have to walk and haul the water. It is a four hour walk. I asked Lioni if he had money, what is the first thing he would buy for his village. He sent me a picture of a yellow water jug. He said every family needs this. Along with a link for a 10,000 liter holding tank to collect rainwater from the school roof, so the people can actually have something to store and keep water. People have no water to drink, let alone wash their hands. As you can imagine, COVID has spread like wildfire.

Lioni travels to the Capitol Kigali often, and will personally purchase and deliver these desperately needed items. We are trying to raise money for the 10,000 liter tank, and to buy each family two water jugs. They are $2 a piece. Just $10 could drastically change the quality of life for 5 different families. Please donate.