Anthony is a young single father who lives on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with his 3-year-old daughter. Father and daughter have not had running water at their home for over a year. In order to get water, Anthony had to haul water from three miles away from his home – a long and tiring trip for this single father.

Anthony applied to Running Strong’s Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) program for assistance with a water connection. After an evaluation from Running Strong’s water coordinator Ken Lone Elk, Anthony’s application was approved. Once the project began, it only took a day and a half for the entire water connection to be completed.

Today Anthony and his daughter have all the fresh, clean water they need right at their house. Anthony is very thankful that he and his daughter now have a water connection and he no longer has to haul water from miles away.

The average cost to connect a home to the water line which runs through the reservation is over $6,000, which may be beyond the reach of many families on the reservation.

Thanks to the supporters of Running Strong we have been able to connect dozens of households, providing hundreds with what most Americans take for granted, convenient access to fresh, clean water whether it’s from a kitchen tap, or hydrant outside.