Karuppi's Story

“Once you get older like me, you can’t carry heavy pots of water.”

Karuppi Kumbiah is 70 years old and grandmother to nine children. She lives in a small village close to Tuticorin in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. She explained the change in her family’s life since Jeevika Trust, with the help of partner organisation, SCAD, helped to revitalise traditional ‘rainwater-harvesting’ structures in her village – meaning that a large source of clean water is now on her doorstep.

She says: “Before we had our own pond we had to travel to the next village for our water. It was a 3km journey which was exhausting in the heat. Once you get older like me, you can’t carry heavy pans of water back from that distance.

“I would have to pay to take the bus. The bus would be half full of people and half full of pots and pans for the water. It cost me 3 rupees for the return journey and 2 rupees to take my water pot on board. It was eating my money.

"Now I’m so happy that we have our own water. Everything is different. My family can wash themselves when they need to.”

Jeevika Trust is committed to helping even more women, their families and their communities, just like we have with Karuppi and her family.  Please help us to do this by donating today.