Vachta pedals 1,000 miles for clean water - Summer 2007 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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Vachta pedals 1,000 miles for clean water

A young boy from the Dominican Republic named Bogá lives hundreds of miles from Tyler Vachta ’08 of Cresco, Iowa.

Bogá eats one small meal a day, lacks medical attention and education and can’t turn on a faucet and get safe, clean water.

“Bogá touched my heart with his contagious smile, fun-loving attitude and eyes that had seen more struggle and tragedy than I have ever encountered,” said Vachta, who met Bogá during a May Term course in 2007. “Like all of the children in the village, Bogá always asked for a drink of my water when it was almost gone.”

Through the Waters of Hope Project, Vachta rode his bicycle 1,000 miles. He joined 40 other riders from Iowa, Missouri and Arizona to help kids in Sudan and Swaziland who lack food and clean water.

After returning from Wartburg West in fall 2007, Vachta learned St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Waverly wanted to support a bicycle rider for the Waters of Hope project. He signed on to put his legs to work.

Vachta said the project purchases chlorinators. The chlorinators turn table salt into a chlorine solution that kills the unsafe parasites that contaminate drinking water. Though this project won’t directly affect Bogá, Vachta hopes it will someday reach his young friend.

To train for the 10-day journey in May, the math education major pedaled on a stationary bike at The W, and moved outdoors when the weather improved.

The 1,000 miles, rain or shine, was worth helping kids like Bogá, Vachta said.

“I don’t think most people have shared that experience,” he added. “If more people had, I don’t think 1,000 miles on a bike would seem like all that much, knowing it has the potential to bring clean water to thousands of people.”

This clean water has the potential to save young kids from disease. St. Andrews collected nickels for the ride, reminding donors to put a nickel in a cup every time they turned on a water faucet.

“In the United States we take for granted that whenever we turn on the faucet something clean and pure enough to drink is going to pour out,” said Vachta. “It’s sad that in most developing countries the running water isn’t treated. Drinking clean water is seen as a luxury in the developing world, though it should be a basic right.”