Project Update
Rwanda and Guatemala Rwanda and Guatemala
Thank you for providing clean water.
Right now, your investment is helping a young girl attend school more regularly, improving a father’s health so he has energy to work, and giving a woman time to pursue her dream of opening a shop so she can help support her family. Most importantly, your gift has opened the door for sharing the Gospel.
Your generosity is making an eternal difference!
A DREAM FULFILLED
Water scarcity and poverty were the biggest problems facing the community of La Cuesta in Guatemala.
La Cuesta is located in a very dry and stony area with no natural water sources available nearby. Frequent water shortages made it difficult for the villagers to maintain good sanitation practices, which often led to disease outbreaks.
Sara Lopez, a 39-year-old resident of the community, told our partners that her children repeatedly became ill because there was never enough water and what they did have was contaminated.
But today, the residents of La Cuesta not only enjoy clean drinking water, but they are developing safe hygiene habits to help prevent the spread of disease. Because of this well, the village will now enjoy having a constant source of clean water.
Pedro Aguirre, a 70-year-old resident, said, “I feel really excited about this project. I have lived all my life in this community and always dreamed of seeing my children and grandchildren drink clean water, and now it is a reality and not only a dream.”
CLEAN WATER = BETTER MEDICAL CARE
Jane Makamana is a staff member at Mont Cyangugu Health Center in Rwanda. She has seen firsthand the difference a clean-water project can make:
The water project has benefited us very much in different ways. The water supply in Rusizi district is unreliable and the health center uses a lot of water. We used to rely on paid water supply but sometimes it would be cut off, and we would be put on standstill. We have been blessed with two big water tanks, and because of constant rains, the water is always available.
Hygiene has increased at the health center as well. Availability of these water tanks limits conflicts with our neighbors because water is trapped and does not destroy the neighbor’s property, which has contributed to good relations with neighbors and local authorities. The water project has also tremendously reduced our water bill. I extend great thanks for making this water project possible.
For Mawombi Jolly, a 26-year-old mother, clean water at the medical clinic allowed her to have a hygienic delivery and recovery:
I am glad I came to the Mont Cyangugu Health Center for maternity services to deliver my baby. I was received straight into the maternity ward and was happy because the ward was very clean. There was also free clean water to have a bath after my delivery and to wash my clothes. This experience has given me confidence and has made me feel safe.
Clean water is the single most powerful way to bring holistic health to an impoverished community. You are impacting lives, restoring hope, and sharing the love of Christ—thank you!
- Water Can Lift the Burden of Despair Consider the village of Los Limones. Every day, 400 people in this community would trek to a local river to bathe, wash clothes, and fetch water for their tasks at home. But what they saw as a life source to the community was actually causing incredible harm.
- Caring About Women Should Start With Clean Water On a practical level, walking for water can remove precious, valuable hours from a woman’s day—stripping away time to make important choices about life. With easy access to clean water, basic tasks like bathing, cooking, and cleaning become less risky and time consuming.
- Water Can Restore the Rejected At the most basic level, clean drinking water increases overall health, sanitation, and hygiene. Access to it also creates opportunities for pursuing education and employment, and promotes gender equality for women and girls who are more likely than men to fetch water. But have you ever considered the implications clean water could have on a community’s spiritual health?