By the time the sun rises over her village, Catarina is already awake.

For years, her days began the same way — a two- to three- hour trek to retrieve water for her and her family. Only this water wasn’t clean. It was dirty and contaminated, filled with deadly bacteria. Yet it was all they had.

Catarina would return home exhausted, praying the water wouldn’t bring fever or diarrhea again. Praying none of her children would grow weak and sick. Sometimes, those prayers felt unanswered.

Two small graves lie on the other side of the village — Paulo, just 4, and João Batista, only 2. Contaminated water stole them both. When Catarina speaks their names, her voice breaks. Some days, she says, the grief is so heavy she doesn’t even feel like eating. But today, something is different.

Today, she stands beside a working water pump. Clear water splashes into a bucket as children laugh nearby. Her daughter Dominga balances baby Zayze on her hip while Americo, 11, eagerly takes a turn pumping.