Nearly 1 million people die every year from waterborne diseases, such as typhoid, cholera, and diarrhea. The cause: Nearly one in ten people still lack access to safe drinking water.
Think of all the violence and war in our world today. Thousands of innocent lives are lost as a result, and it angers us. But what if we told you there was an even bigger threat to children and families? One that goes undetected by billions of people and cripples the health of entire nations?
Lack of access to clean water is the greatest challenge facing impoverished communities today. The World Water Crisis is the silent killer of our time . . . and it does irreversibly more damage to future generations.
Waterborne diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, killing more people than violence and war combined—the majority of them children. Dirty water stunts the physical and mental health of millions of children every year. Imagine your child being trapped in a perpetual cycle of sickness simply from drinking water. With a poor immune system and parasites that prevent their bodies from absorbing the nutrients they need, permanent malnutrition and a heightened possibility of contracting a deadly disease are a very real result.
Water gives life . . . and takes it away.
This is the case for the village of El Canal, Guatemala, named after the narrow, muddy canal that runs the entire length of the community. Garbage and debris float on the surface while children play in the water to cool off in the sweltering Guatemalan heat.
This polluted stream is the only water source in El Canal—and it is killing the residents that rely on it. They drink it, bathe in it, and cook and clean with it. It runs through their bodies and makes them sick. Nearly every child in the village suffers skin problems, and many are dangerously malnourished.
More than 8,000 miles away, Lwanda—a village in western Kenya—shares a similar story. Because the people here fight constant bouts of diarrhea and other water-related illnesses, school enrollment is low and precious work hours are wasted in search of clean water.
In fact, the water is so contaminated here that the people aren’t even able to grow healthy crops or keep their dairy cows alive. Can you imagine the hopelessness? More than 1,000 people wake up every day in Lwanda with this exhausting burden. Without safe drinking water, they live only to survive.
Every day, 663 million people are at risk of dying because they don’t have clean water—but it doesn’t have to be this way. World Help’s global water initiative has implemented over 700 clean-water projects so far, bringing safe, fresh water to thousands upon thousands of people.
But we’re not just providing help through clean water. Meeting this fundamental need opens the doors for us to share the hope we receive through God’s transforming Living Water. The love and care we model in these villages is a reflection of Christ’s transforming love. Clean water is the starting point for incredible spiritual development!
Every week that goes by means 16,000 people die because they didn’t have access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. I’m begging you to help me intervene in this global crisis. The fact is, clean water is right beneath the feet of every villager—but they need our help to access it.
- $500 provides 33 people with clean water
- $1,000 provides 67 people with clean water
- $5,000 provides a clean-water project impacting 500 people with clean water
- $15,000 provides a clean-water well impacting 1,000 people with clean water
Thousands of lives could be spared through one simple decision to act. Imagine what we could do together.
Your best gift today will invest in far more than water. It will create opportunities for education and stronger economies . . . foster equality and dignity . . . restore health and sustain development . . . and open doors for eternal hope.
Partner with World Help today by visiting worldhelp.net/water.