Rosie Teunnang (37) is a mother of five beautiful children. Rosie's daughters love playing on the sand and building sandcastles. Her 11-year-old son loves to play soccer.
She lives with her family in one of the crowded areas in Betio, Kiribati where homes are crowded and close to each other. Betio is one of the largest villages on south Tarawa, with an approximate population of 2,400.
Rosie lives with her family at her parent’s house. She also shares this house with her 2 brothers, 3 sisters, and their families. Even though they share the same house, they live apart.
Rosie stays at home to look after the children while her husband works.
A Day in Rosie's Life
At 7am each day Rosie boils water for drinking with the electric kettle or portable gas stove. She has to transfer the water into a jug to cool down before her children wake up. Then she prepares breakfast, bathes her children and cleans the house.
“My two daughters and my 6-month-old son like to drink every morning when they wake up. So, I have to wake up early to prepare boiled water for them to drink.” she says.
Challenges of Water Access and Contamination
Rosie and her family usually drink Public Utilities Board water (PUB water is from a pipe system that the community have to pay for to access). Unfortunately, there are leaks in the water pipe which contaminates the water. Life is busy with 5 young children, sometimes her children have to drink the unboiled PUB water. Whenever her children drank unboiled water, they would suffer from a stomachache and diarrhea.
“Sometimes when there is no time, my children need to drink the unboiled water. This makes me sad because I know that this can affect their health.” she says.
But using electric kettle and a portable gas stove are so expensive so she has to use them sparingly.
“I only boil my 1-year-old's water because I cannot afford to boil water in a big amount using the electric kettle. Using the kettle increases the electric bill and our budget wouldn't last two weeks. Sometimes my older children can drink the boiled water if there’s some left. But my top priority is my youngest son” she says.
A Simple Sunny Solution
Earlier this year, Rosie went to a clinic for her 6-month-old's medical checkup. The nurse invited her to attend a Solvatten training for pregnant and new mothers hosted by ChildFund.
While attending the training she learned about a water purification unit. This Solvatten Unit can boil and purify water using solar energy - something there’s no shortage of in Kiribati!
All mothers received their own Solvatten unit after the training.
“I was so thrilled to attend the training as I wasn’t expecting to receive this Solvatten unit. A unit that is going to help my children access to clean and safe water for drinking” she says.
Rosie can now boil her water 4 times a day which fills one bucket. This makes enough clean water for her children each day.
“I have been helped a lot ever since I use this unit as it saves my time, money, and health and mostly my children,” she says.
Hopes for the Future
Giving children access to clean safe drinking water does not only have positive health impacts. It means children don’t miss out on an education because they’re sick. It means they can concentrate on learning because they’re hydrated.
“I wish nothing for my children but to give my full support in giving them the best for their health. Now they can go to school without getting sick, be smart in school, and achieve higher level of education in the future" she says.
Thanks to your support, Rosie's children now have clean safe drinking water.
