Chris Hall, a Virgin Atlantic Airlines captain, tells the story of his international effort to organise and lead a hike of Mt. Fuji to raise funds for water pumps installed in Kenya by Water For All.

Virgin Fuji Climbers	Chris Hall

As a captain for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, I fly over a lot of water. Even from thirty thousand feet, when all I could see from the cockpit are clouds and the water down below, I have thought about all the people in the world who suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. I grew up in Kenya, Tanzania and India, so in addition to experiencing the joys of different cultures and people as a child and as a pilot, I have also witnessed abject poverty on every continent.

Thankfully, a group named Water For All is making it easy for people like me to do our part to improve access to clean water in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is a good first step in helping to ease poverty as well. 

Imagine our delight when Jill Rademacher, President of Water For All, told us that we had raised enough funds to install two pumps in communities located approximately 100 kilometers from Nairobi. I began to think. Two pumps! Two is an excellent number. Why not gather the Fuji climbers again for our second trip together – this time to see the fruits of our hiking and fundraising? It is not unusual to go on expedition to raise money for a charity but it doesn’t happen this way all the time. I can’t think of a precedent for two trips, and it certainly isn’t every day that we get to see the impact of our donations.

Jill at Water For All suggested we hold an official dedication ceremony for the pumps to celebrate World Water Day in March 2009. So, many of the Fuji Climbers flew to Nairobi and set out for the Kimanza school. This school, which includes both a primary and secondary school, educates close to 1000 students yet had no running water until the installation of a Water For All Sun Pump. The nearest non-contaminated supply of water was eight kilometers away. The landscape was a bit bleak but was quickly overcome by joyful schoolchildren who spilled out from the school to greet us. The principal told me that it is the first time that the school’s had running water for the lavatory and for cooking on the premises. Most of the Virgin team hadn’t thought of that and we were also surprised that the children were all mad for plastic water bottles. It was a striking scene. Here, only weeks before, the children did not have a water source nearby, and now that the solar pump was there, they wanted to collect as much water as they could.

Kids playing on the Fun Pump	Drinking water from the tap

Water is essential to life, and the impact of this new water source for the children had quite a profound impact on the visitors. Half our crowd was crying, so moved a performance the schoolchildren put on for us. Our gifts of footballs, boots (and pencils and paper – it is a school after all!), came to good use for a spirited football match in which the students let their visitors win. Then we were back on our bus and on our bumpy journey to Kyeleni Clinic.

At Kyeleni we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful primary school children who were overwhelmed by our visit - especially when they saw the Fuji Climbers and crew in their uniforms! This again was very emotional. Laughter soon followed, however, as the kids and adults alike hopped on the Fun Pump for a spin. The parents explained to us that this was the first playground equipment their children had ever seen, and, as with many children, getting them off the merry-go-round was becoming an issue! The Fun Pump in Kyeleni generates water for the local primary school and medical clinic.

Crew and students on the Fun Pump	Students sing us a song

Who was it that said one small step launches a journey of a thousand miles? To respond to and to actually see the great need for a clean water source in Kenya and other places in the world is the first step in the very long journey of wiping out poverty. By providing easy access to clean water and information about good hygiene practices, kids will be less susceptible to water-borne illnesses, especially diarrhea. If children are healthy, they can spend more time in school. Girls especially benefit from a clean water source near schools, as they can attend classes instead of spending hours fetching water for their families. Women, too, can find more productive uses for their time when freed from the burden of traveling great distances to a water source. The small gardens that can grow with proper amounts of water provide nutritious food and a source of income.

Water. I still fly over a lot of it, but now I see the joyful faces of Kenyan schoolchildren and their families. Onward and upward!

Written By Captain Chris Hall