Bike Ride Supports Clean Water Access

On July 16, 2016, I hopped on my bike and rode from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, PA on a tow path and adjoining rail trail over 6 days, with 7 riders joining me for various lengths of the journey. Besides being a fun, scenic, and overall enjoyable ride, the purpose was to raise support and awareness for the world's water crisis. While on the trail, I was constantly reminded about the importance of water.

Water pumps were scattered every 5 -10 miles on the C&O Canal trail and were purified using iodine. I chose to filter the water as a precaution and also to help improve the taste of the water (iodine is not my preferred flavor). Moving to the GAP trail there was only one water stop on the trail (in Frostburg and it was outfitted with a bottle filler - awesome), otherwise it was restaurants or finding a convenience store in a town. Pedaling 60+ miles most days, meant that water was necessary, as the sweat poured out of my body, to make it to camp.

It's unfathomable to me that far too many places in the world live without access to clean water. Disease and life-threatening illnesses await most children in these villages and towns, as they are forced to consume unsanitary water. From the outset of my bike ride, I wanted to change the water situation for a community in India through a partnership with Humankind Water. Donations totaled over $2,600 and those funds were used to refurbish existing wells in three communities in the Andhra Pradesh region of India. The pictures below show the three wells.

Thank you to all that supported and donated so that these villages could have access to clean water. These three wells will service about 3,000 people each year. The life-expectancy for each well is 10 years, so that's 10 years of drinking clean water and children spending their time going to school instead of collecting dirty water from a far-off source. If children are educated, communities are changed, and hope resides for a brighter future!

Refurbished well in the village of Konidela

Refurbished well in the village of Laxmapuram

Refurbished well in the village ofNagalooty

Water makes a difference!

For more on the bike ride and a play-by-play of what I faced each day, click here!

Michelle