A Story from "The Moment of Lift" by Melinda Gates | How Anna Summoned a Moment of Lift

When Ana and Sonari got married, Ana moved from her part of the country to Sonari's region, which was drier and demanded more work to farm and find water. Ana's walk to the well was 12 miles each way. She adjusted to the extra work, but after the birth of their first child, she just couldn't bear it anymore. When Sonari returned from the fields, he found Ana ready to leave. She told him she was going back to her father's house to live. Because life was too hard in his homeland. Sonari was heartbroken and asked what he could do to make her stay. Go fetch the water so I could nurse our son. So Sonari broke Maasai tradition and walked to the well to get water. He bought a bicycle and biked the distance to the well. The other men mocked him for doing women's work. But Sonari was tough. He didn't budge. He knew his new chore would make his son healthier and make his wife happier. And that was enough for him. After a time, some of the other men decided to join Sonari. And when they soon got tired of biking 24 miles to fetch water, they brought the community together to build catchment areas to collect rainwater near the village. As I listened to Ana's story, my heart filled with love for the courage it took for her to stand up to the traditions of her society and for Sonari to do the same. She took a stand she knew would either destroy her marriage or deepen it. It was me listening to Ana and Ana inspiring me. It was two women from different worlds meeting on the margins and summoning a moment of lift.