Hassan Syed : Thunder Bay, Ontario
“We are a first-world country, and in this day in age it is appalling that we aren’t providing everyone in this country with their God-given right.”
“I was 10 years old when I came to Canada. My parents, myself, and my younger brother and sister had moved here from Pakistan in 2000. Initially we all lived in a one bedroom apartment. My parents, both working minimum wage jobs. Eventually, as we got older, my brother and I had left town to pursue further education.
It wasn’t until one day while I was at a dinner, a friend had advised me that there were several First Nation reserves that did not have access to clean water. I was shocked. Despite being raised in a struggling immigrant family, we always had access to clean water. If I opened the tap in my kitchen sink, I would have a running stream of clean water. If I were to walk into a public food establishment and ask for water, it is likely that I would receive a cup of clean water, free of charge. We are a first-world country, and in this day in age it is appalling that we aren’t providing everyone in this country with their God-given right. My perception had drastically changed, I had to do something about this.
Growing up, I had greatly admired Terry Fox and his run across Canada, the whole concept seemed amazing to me. I decided that I would do something similar. Myself, alongside a large group of volunteers had decided to launch a campaign, Access 2 Clean Water (A2CW). I began the run last month. I started out in Vancouver and I am now working my way out to Ottawa. I have ran about 530 km and still have quite a ways to go. The total run is around 4500 km give or take. I want to raise awareness about the situation and funds, so that we can pursue research into building a water plant for those reserves. Everyone should have access to clean water.”
(Hasan Syed : Thunder Bay, Ontario)
* You can contribute to A2CW by visiting their Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/access2cleanwater