Two young competition winners gained an incredible experience this Wimbledon, meeting a sports star while improving the lives of children around the world. 2016 Wimbledon winner Heather Watson together with WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation helped the two girls from London fulfill their dream of playing tennis at Wimbledon, while campaigning to enable children to access clean water globally.
Ysehult, 14, and Annabel, 7, won the opportunity in a Wimbledon Foundation competition, in which they described their dreams of becoming professional tennis players. The pair enjoy playing in the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI), a local community coaching programme.
Ysehult explained that she would love to succeed in professional tennis. But failing that, her back-up plan is to train as a civil engineer. She also hopes to make a positive difference for the world throughout her life. She said: “After the pandemic, I would like the world to be more aware of looking after our planet and helping all those people who are struggling and need our help.”
Their dreams for the future, as well as those of children around the world, were recreated as miniature scenes in glass droplets. WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation made the Droplets of Dreams, inspired by children in countries where the charity works. These include Pakistan, Colombia, Malawi and Ethiopia.
Among the dreams is that of Tsehaynesh, 15, from Derekwa in Ethiopia, who hopes to become a midwife. Before WaterAid installed three water points near her home, she spent two hours a day fetching water, which impacted her studies. She said: “The clean water taps in the village help me be on time and the good hygiene in the village keeps us healthy. Together, the clean water and hygiene will help me fulfil my dreams of completing school and becoming a midwife.”
While children like Ysehult and Annabel can more realistically achieve their dreams, others such as Tsehaynesh are held back by having to travel great distances to access water. One in ten children can’t access clean water near their homes, so that millions have to dedicate hours each day to collecting it.
This cuts into the hours they spend in school. Children lose up to 443 million days from their education every year because of water-related illnesses and 800 children die every day from drinking dirty water or due to poor sanitation.
WaterAid hopes that Droplets of Dreams will help raise awareness of the issue. Supporting the campaign, Heather Watson said: “Everyone should be able to have big dreams for their future and the chance to make them happen. I had ambitions to become a professional tennis player for as long as I can remember and feel so fortunate to have had the support and resources to help me fulfil my dreams.
“But for millions of children around the world, a lack of clean water holds them back from reaching their potential. I’m proud to be supporting WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation in their mission to highlight the importance of clean water in building a better future. With clean water close to home, children can live healthy lives, go to school and realise their dreams.”
Over the next three years, the Wimbledon Foundation will donate £1.2 million to WaterAid and will focus on providing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) via healthcare facilities in four countries: Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi and Myanmar. Its support will enable the charity to transform healthcare facilities with WASH services, helping communities to live healthier lives.
For further information about WaterAid’s partnership with the Wimbledon Foundation visit wateraid.org/uk/get-involved/wimbledon-foundation.
To help bring clean water closer to home for millions of children worldwide, donate here.
