'Purpose-Driven Travel' Helps Bring Clean Water to Kenya

ME to WE partnered with the Travel Corporation group of companies in October 2016 to do “purpose-driven” travel. The partnership makes simple a tried-and-true travel goal: to help the place we visit and to make our travel footprint better.

Kenya's campaign for clean water has provided ample opportunities. 

Pasiyio Mpaayei, a member of the Maasai tribe from Kenya, says that access to good clean drinking water is a big problem in many areas of her country.

“The communities where we live in need more pipes and infrastructure,” she says. “Some dams which are constructed by people and the government give something but not enough.”

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She explains that there are around 42 different tribes in Kenya and that most of the Maasai are very active in giving back to their community.

“Right now, people are realizing that education and water are some of the most important goals; and before, people did not really believe in education before but things are changing,” she says with a smile.

The WE movement was started by Craig and Marc Kielburger, creating an umbrella of initiatives that impacts schools, families, companies and villages. There is also a volunteer travel component with youth, University trips, school trips and corporate trips.

David’s Tea, a Canadian beverage brand, partnered with ME to WE in February, to create socially-conscious products with the key purpose of providing water to communities in need.

Mpaayei says that the initiative ME to WE has personally has helped her a lot. Before the initiative impacted the community, she, “used to walk six hours a day to get clean water, mostly during the weekend.”

Securing good, clean water from various sources was her responsibility. Now, the water comes closer to primary schools in her area because of this partnership, and it economically empowers them.

“If mamas are in power, it positively impacts the community,” she notes.

The “future of doing good” can be as simple as buying a rafiki bracelet made by a Kenyan woman, sold at David’s Tea stores, or purchasing tins of tasty tea that give back to a developing Kenyan community. 

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The “Me to We” tea, which is priced at $9.98, is a caffeine-free blend of pineapple, hibiscus and cranberries. Each 2 oz. purchase of the loose leaf tea gives two weeks of clean water to a person in a developing community in Kenya.

The travel mugs and travel tins are especially beautiful with their water mosaic print. The travel mug, priced at $32, is a double-walled one that keeps drinks iced or cold. Each purchase of this gives two months of clean water to a developing Kenyan community. 

The charming, slender rafiki bracelet is $15 and gives a month’s worth of water, while Me to We lip butter is $6 each and gives a week of clean water.

We.org, allows you to track your impact by inputting a code that comes with every product purchase.