THE president of a Teesside Lions Club has returned from a mission to Ethiopia to see how money raised by the group is helping to transform people's lives.
Giles Bolitho, president of the Redcar and Middlesbrough group, accompanied 12 other supporters to see how money given to WaterAid is being used to provide safe water and sanitation.
"This visit has enabled me to give talks from first-hand experience of some of the most important issues today. Women and children in Africa and Asia can walk up to 22km a day to collect water, yet they bring it home from rivers and muddy water holes knowing it could disease their families.
"Once WaterAid helps them build a supply of safe water near their homes, these people become healthy and also their time is freed to work, get an education and spend time with their families," he said.
He hopes his experiences will encourage people to respond to a WaterAid leaflet which will be appearing with Northumbrian Water bills from this month.
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