Vancouver sales rep Bob Edwards of eXp Realty raised $17,000 in 2019 to change the lives of villagers in Africa. He has been supporting the Global Aid Network (GAiN) for several years and his donations have helped 7,000 villagers, says the network.

“Access to clean water changes everything — especially for young girls and women,” says Ray Sawatsky, CEO of GAiN. He says by providing accessible, disease-free water points, the donations help increase attendance in school, reduce malnutrition and sickness, improve maternal and newborn health and give more time for women to focus on the well being of their families and communities. It also improves the local economy, he says.

Edwards is also active in supporting multiple local charities, but he says he’s impressed with the stewardship of GAiN and how much of what is donated actually gets to those who need it the most. “The investment for one water well is $8,500 and that will change the lives of 1,000 people,” he says. “Less than $10 can change a life. We just had to help and I’m so glad we did.”