Wrangling your kids to get out the door on time for church, a trip to the grocery store, or an outing at the mall can make you want to pull your hair out.
Making sure they hold your hand in the parking lot. Checking that they don’t sneeze on (or eat!) the produce. Ensuring they don’t wander off as you peruse the sale racks. It’s enough to drive you crazy — and wear you out.
Dina is tired, too, but for a different reason. This mother of four lives in desperate poverty in Guatemala and her family is forced to go without basic essentials — like clean water.
In order to find water at all, the 20-year-old mom has to walk 45 minutes one way to the nearest water source. And since she has no one to watch her children, she has to take them with her.
Their journey to the river is a dangerous, mountainous trek made in the sweltering heat. All the while, Dina tries to keep her children safely beside her. And she keeps her eye on her little ones as she collects water to ensure they don’t fall in the river. When she’s finished, she barely has the strength to carry the heavy water jugs back home.
The river itself isn’t the only danger to Dina’s children; it’s the contaminated water they are forced to drink and bathe in and that their mother must use for cooking.
This puts Dina’s children at risk for life-threatening diseases caused by waterborne bacteria. They can become dehydrated, suffer with severe diarrhea, or even contract cholera or typhoid.
But Dina’s story has a happy ending thanks to generous donors who provided a well near her home. Now her family is only a few steps away from clean water.
“Thank you for [giving] us a clean water source in our village,” Dina said. “We felt so grateful for this great gift. God bless you and let you help more families like us.”
Her children no longer have to tag along on dangerous trips to collect water. And Dina doesn’t worry anymore about them getting sick from the bacteria in contaminated river water.
Dina’s story is echoed in impoverished countries across the globe. Countless families are waiting for an opportunity to receive clean water.
Being a mother is hard enough without worrying about giving your children water that will make them sick.
Today, you can help someone in need have one less thing to worry about by providing his or her family with clean water. Click below to learn more about how you can help save lives.
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