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PO Box A524
Sydney South NSW 1235, Level 11, 227 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

Telephone: 1800 812 164

© 2024 Opportunity International AustraliaABN 83 003 805 043

Going H20nly

By Stephanie Semler

This September I’m doing it tough. No coffee. No tea. No juice. No alcohol. No soft drink. In fact, no drinks but water. And none of that fancy sparkling water, just plain and simple tap water. Don’t worry, it’s not a new diet fad or fitness program! I’m challenging myself to go without drinks to raise awareness of the radically different conditions people across the world live in, and to raise money to train health leaders in India so that these conditions can be improved.

For me, giving up coffee feels really tough so it’s hard to imagine living without other basic necessities. I find it almost impossible to picture life without a fridge stocked full of food, clean water flowing from the many taps in my house and around-the-clock access to a toilet. When I get sick there is a plethora of medicine and medical care available to me, near my home and at affordable price. Unfortunately, for many people this is simply not the case.

Stephanie with a glass of water, her drink of choice for the month

I was shocked to find that for so many people, realities such as open defecation are part of their every day. In India, women living in poverty often do not have access to sanitary napkins, and so use leaves and rags during menstruation, making them significantly more vulnerable to inflection. This can prevent young women going to school during menstruation – stunting their education. These injustices are something we should all be working against.

While the problem is immense, making a difference is simple. Opportunity works in local communities in India, training women as health leaders. So, by supporting someone participating in a Food for Thought challenge or event, you can help community leaders empower themselves, their families and their communities. For only $475, one leader can be fully equipped, undertaking an internship and then going on to help her community with her new knowledge of hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, pregnancy and infant care. Her skills mean she is able to help create a healthier environment for her community. To me, that’s well worth only drinking water for 30 days!

Get behind Opportunity supporter Stephanie in her Food For Thought challenge.

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