Dear John, 

Every mother wants the best for her child. That's why when Juliet's 5-year-old son trips and scrapes his leg, Juliet has to make a terrible decision. Does she use some of her family's precious water to wash out his cut and try to prevent infection? Or does she save the water to wash the food going into her family's dinner? 

Juliet fights to provide for her children and be a good mother, but the changing climate in her region has made it hard. Juliet's extended family, 13 members in all, live on what they grow on their small farm, which is increasingly difficult in a part of Zimbabwe that has been struck with a severe famine. 

The drought in Zimbabwe has affected Juliet's ability to mother her family on pretty much every level. Her family used to plant crops in October, but the rain comes so late now they have to wait until January. Juliet uses a deep well called a borehole to get water, but in the stretching dry seasons they can't get water, or it comes up full of contaminants. 

And the drought makes it difficult for Juliet to find any help for her children. After all, the entire region is suffering from the same lack of water...even the hospitals. 

After losing her first child during childbirth, Juliet was terrified of a complicated delivery and looked for a hospital for her daughter, who is now just under a month old. But the hospitals in her region have so little water they can't even bathe new mothers after labor is finished. Instead of taking that chance, Juliet had her daughter at home last year. 

"I went into labor while I was here at home," she says. "The baby didn't cry when I delivered her. I was thinking my child would die like my first one. I was in deep pain. I cried because I thought I had lost my baby."

Juliet's baby lived, but no mother should be unable to access the health care she and her baby need.

Unfortunately, Juliet is not alone. Nearly 8 million people in Zimbabwe are struggling to provide for their families due to drought conditions and climate change. That's millions of moms who see their child's education and curiosity suffering while the family fights to stay alive. 

I know that' a lot of frustrating news, but I promise it's not the end of the story. Juliet and her family are resilient, and I can't wait to share the details of Save the Children's work in Zimbabwe with you soon.