Most do marathons for fun. Siabatou Sanneh does one every day to get clean water for her family. She walked in the Paris Marathon highlighting the scarcity of clean water in parts of Africa (Courtesy Water for Africa / Ogilvy Paris).
Siabatou Sanneh and her Gambian village received a sustainable clean water source, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Water For Africa charity (Courtesy Water for Africa / Ogilvy Paris).
Ethiopia's Meseret Mengistu was the women's winner of the 2015 Paris Marathon, but the story of marathon participant Siabatou Sanneh of Gambia captured the world's attention. In her worn sandals and brightly colored traditional garb, Sanneh, 43, trod cobblestone roads carrying 45 pounds of water while wearing a sign with the translated words, "In Africa women cover this distance every day to find water. Help us to reduce this distance."
She walked to raise awareness about the scarcity of water for many African nations. Since the age of 7, she has traveled close to 5 miles multiple times a day to supply her family with clean water for gardening, washing and drinking. Her story is similar to nearly 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who don't have access to safe drinking water, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In these countries, women and girls are routinely tasked with finding a source of clean water and bringing it back to their families. Girls who collect the water often don't have time to attend school, which limits their future opportunities. Water For Africa, a charity based in the United Kingdom, hopes to eliminate this problem by building and maintaining sustainable water sources throughout Africa. A Tanzanian study cited by UNICEF showed a 12 percent increase in school attendance when water was available within 15 minutes, compared to more than 30 minutes away.
A few weeks after the Paris Marathon, Water For Africa CEO Sheryl Greentree and Sanneh detailed the story behind their quest and the images that helped bring awareness to people around the globe.
"The time I use on the distance is a lot," Sanneh said via a translator of her walk to water. "I cannot tell you how many hours because it's a daily life thing to me. We are doing it the whole day." Research cited by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls in low-income countries spend 40 billion hours a year collecting water. That is the equivalent of a year's worth of labor by the entire work force in France.
Before coming to Paris, Sanneh had never left her community. Her journey to France included her first time boarding an airplane, using an escalator, and tasting McDonald's food, Greentree said. It was also the first time Sanneh witnessed people tossing water over their heads or on the ground at marathon hydration stations. "They were wasting water and I was not very happy about it because back home they need water for everything. So I was thinking they have enough and now they are wasting it," Sanneh said.
Because the Water For Africa crew feared Sanneh would finish after nightfall, she didn't complete the entire race. But the few hours she was on the course made an impact. Sanneh was greeted with applause, cheers and kisses from runners who admired her message. Among the fanfare, Sanneh moved forward with a regal presence while never mishandling her water. "She's such an amazing woman," Greentree said. "She's so calm and nothing fazes her."
While Sanneh's stamina to carry water for miles is awe-inspiring, the care she takes when handling the vessel should also be admired. In her decades of walking, she has never dropped her water. "In my life water is very, very precious to me," Sanneh said. "Water is everything to us. I am always careful when carrying water."
With Water For Africa's fundraising help, Sanneh's village now has a sustainable, clean water source. Her daily marathon has been shortened to just a few steps from her door. When she's asked how the clean water and the trip to Paris changed her life, she focuses more on how it has improved the daily lives of her fellow villagers. "They are very happy to not be drinking from the open wells," she said, "and they are not walking far distances for water."
Siabatou Sanneh and her Gambian village received a sustainable clean water source, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Water For Africa charity (Courtesy Water for Africa / Ogilvy Paris).
Siabatou Sanneh and her Gambian village received a sustainable clean water source, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Water For Africa charity (Courtesy Water for Africa / Ogilvy Paris).
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