In this time of social distancing and stay-at-home, it’s really easy to dwell on the things that are cancelled, postponed, or forbidden. If asked, we all could come up with a list of big things that are devastating to cancel and little things that we miss terribly.

It is harder to remember the things we have accomplished together. We have saved lives by staying home. We have created masks with leftover material and ingenuity. We have entertained ourselves with scavenger hunts looking for teddy bears and rainbows in neighbors’ windows.

And, we have equipped vulnerable families with access to clean water. Which somehow means even more today than it did a few months ago.

So while this update from 20 Liters could detail all of the things that are cancelled, postponed, or forbidden ; instead I want to leave you with a list of things we’ve accomplished that will help us see this crisis through.

We have recruited hundreds of volunteers who live in the communities we serve. These volunteers have spent years advocating for better access to clean water and encouraging their neighbors to practice hygiene skills like hand washing.

We have trained over 65,000 people in basic hygiene skills, including hand washing, giving them the knowledge they need to stay safe in this pandemic.

We have distributed over 13,000 household filters to vulnerable families in Rwanda who can use that water to stay healthy and practice effective hand washing.

We have installed 11 community filters in Health Clinics, giving health workers a source of clean water as the provide critical health services in rural communities.

Thank you for being a part of this work. What we have accomplished together is enough, for now. But if you are looking for something you can do, here are some ideas:

Sign up for our volunteer list to get updates when we’re ready to start building filters again in Michigan!

Make a gift to 20 Liters to enable us to continue operations, retain our staff, and warehouse supplies for when we are able to begin our field work again.

Or, consider purchasing socks from Statement Sockwear that help support 20 Liters and the work we are doing in Rwanda. It all helps; it is making a profound impact in rural Africa. boldSOCKS plans to continue to run a 20% off all Statement Sockwear (code: cleanhands20) during the pandemic to help support our continued efforts to get people clean water.

Thank you for all of your support!