Getting Water

For the past 5 out of 6 days, our well here at the childrens' home has been broken and in need of repairs. Not a problem, the chicken farm next door has “clean” water they will share. Unfortunately, our stomachs didn’t do so well with the chicken farm water… So, now I’ve added a few steps to the process, in hopes that our stomachs will be happy. Here’s what we did today when we wanted a drink.
1. Take a pot and walk down the lane to get water from the rusty old tank. (They tell me it’s totally clean INSIDE.)
2. Walk back home carefully, so as to not spill even a drop.
3. Skim particles off the top with a strainer.
4. Boil the water.
5. Wait a long time and let it cool.
6. Still not clean enough. Put a purifying tablet in the water and let it dissolve for one hour.
7. Drink.
Actually, I see people almost every day walking down the road with water buckets. Many people here don’t have clean drinking water in their homes. I think I’ll never take for granted good, clean, pure water and ice cubes from the refrigerator AGAIN!