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Activists Simulate Burundians' Trek For Clean Water As A Reminder They Are 'Blessed'

Nadia Hamdan
/
KUT
A group walks from Auditorium Shores to the state Capitol on Friday, simulating the journey many Burundians take to get water.

Ever since Austin issued an order to boil water, many residents have wondered how long it'll be before the city has clean drinking water. That's a question the Gazelle Foundation has been asking for years – just not about Austin.

The local nonprofit works to build clean-water systems in Burundi, one of the poorest countries on earth. Co-founder Gilbert Tuhabonye, a genocide survivor from the central African nation, says he remembers having to walk at least 4 miles each day to get a few gallons of untreated water for his family.

Tuhabonye gathered a small group in Austin on Friday to simulate the daily journey of many Burundians. They filled some plastic jerry cans with 5 gallons of water and hoisted them onto their heads. Then they walked from Auditorium Shores to the Texas Capitol.

KUT's Nadia Hamdan reports:

The Gazelle Foundation is hosting a Run for the Water fundraising event Nov. 4.

Nadia Hamdan is a local news anchor and host for NPR's "Morning Edition" on KUT.