Quiet Way provides new way of life

We are surrounded by it: fountains, faucets, flushing toilets — all full of water. What seems so common to one could mean life or death for another.

While the average American uses nearly 100 gallons of water daily, the people of Kakamega, Kenya, must walk for nearly three hours every day to obtain a few gallons of the precious liquid.

The arid area experiences monsoons, which quickly wash away into months of drought. With no way to collect the brief excess, villagers are forced to drink water from muddy streams and ponds, carrying containers home on their backs.

For them, water is life.

Their way of life may soon be changing, however, thanks to the efforts of one Utah charity, In Our Own Quiet Way (Quiet Way).

Founded by Lindon resident, Ron Hatfield, the global non-profit organization hopes to develop long-term solutions for underdeveloped regions around the world.

Hatfield became involved in Kenya in 2002 while serving an LDS mission in Germany with his wife, Maurine. There he met Bernadine Angalusha, an immigrant from Kenya. Angalusha was working as a nanny and sending every spare penny home to cover medical costs for her malaria-stricken family. Unfortunately, none but her mother survived. She then began sending money to her village to help pay for school supplies and a water pump.

Moved by Angalusha's determination and humble origins, the Hatfields began to make small donations. With help from friends, they were able to raise $1,500, enough to start a 16-family farm.

"The more we got involved, the more impressed I was with what you can do there with so little money," Hatfield said. "It's amazing how many lives you can affect."

Never one to do something on a modest scale, Hatfield decided to start Quiet Way in order to raise funds for the Kenyan villagers.

The organization sent medical equipment and enough school supplies to support an entire district for a year. It also started a scholarship program, offering orphans a chance to further their education.

The Hatfields also met with the vice president of Kenya as well as the Kenyan ambassador to America on several occasions to discuss how to further assist the impoverished nation.

The vice president explained that the biggest problem is water scarcity.