When water does not come from a bottle!

Namibia is now going through the worst drought in 30 years. But I do not think every one knows how serious a drought can be. When you type in How to survive a drought on google these tips come up, these tips how ever only counts for the people that have access to a store, own a kitchen, a bathroom, a car, a washing machine or a garden with a lawn.  Now what happens when you are in the bush and the water is gone and the food i gone? Most tribes in Namibia knows how to find food in the bush, but what happens if you are to malnourished to move? The problem is not their skills for survival, because they could survive us ten times out there, but the problem is that once the hunger manifests as a result of drought, then the body starts shutting down. The immune system weakens, and you become more vulnerable to diseases when there is not any protein to eat, You start not being able to preform simple tasks and and then there is definitely no energy for running down and antelope on bare feet.

In the Kitchen

• Buy bottled water and store it. Be sure to rotate the stored water so it does not go bad.
• Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Don't let the tap run while you are waiting for water to cool.
• Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator, or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
• Do not waste water waiting for it to get hot. Capture it for other uses such as plant watering or heat it on the stove or in a microwave.
• Clean vegetables in a pan filled with water rather than running water from the tap. Re-use the water that vegetables are washed in for cleaning or watering plants.
• Wash dishes by hand. When hand washing dishes, save water by filling two containers - one with soapy water and the other with rinse water containing a small amount of chlorine bleach.
• Dishwashers use up to 14 gallons of water per load, but if you must use one, be sure to wash only when your machine is full, not wasting precious water for only a few items.
• Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it. Use it to water your indoor plants or garden.

In the Bathroom

• Time showers to five minutes.
• Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water for watering plants. Turn the water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn the water back on to rinse. Repeat when washing your hair.
• Don't leave the water running when shaving or brushing your teeth. Fill a cup with water for brushing teeth. Stop up the basin and fill with water for shaving.
• Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects, and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
• Place a 12 to 20 ounce plastic bottle in a toilet tank to displace water that fills for waster disposal.

Laundry

• Wash clothes less often. When you do your laundry, only wash full loads.
• Wash with cold or warm water.
• Hand wash 1 or 2 items of clothing at a time when you can.

When Washing Your Car

• Use a car wash. Instead of washing your car yourself, take it to a car wash where recycled water is used. If you're worried about the added expense, cut back on the number of times you wash your car.
• If you insist on washing your own car, park on the grass so that you will be watering it at the same time.

Outdoors

• Don't over-water your lawn. Lawns only need to be watered every five to seven days in the summer, and every 10 to 14 days in the winter. A heavy rain eliminates the need for watering for up to two weeks.
• Position sprinklers so water lands on the lawn and shrubs and not on paved areas.
• Do not leave sprinklers or hoses unattended. A garden hose can pour out 600 gallons or more in only a few hours.

Okay. Very informative for learning about how to take more responsibility, although this is actually  something people should try and save and work on every day, in a part of the world where we have water on the tap. But as I said what are the options for those who do not have any kitchen, fridge, bathroom or washing machine? How can we together help assist them into getting stronger so that they have enough energy to finding their creative sources for food and water?