Together, our impact is multiplied
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. –Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV
Behind every successful individual is a great team. In life, there’s only so much you can accomplish on your own—no man is an island. To enact real change, we must join forces for one purpose: to make a difference that lasts for eternity.
This month, we’re asking you and your team to start a fundraiser to provide clean water for 30 people. This may sound daunting—but working together, it’s completely doable. Gather your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, distant relatives—anyone—and start moving!
Here’s your team’s goal:
$450 – Provide 30 people with clean water
Few of us have the means, connections, or knowledge to fund and construct an entire clean-water project on our own. It takes a group effort to carry a project from the initial dream, to raising funds, to implementation, and completion.
Clean-water projects touch more than just one person . . . they transform entire communities.
This March, let’s not take our unlimited access to clean water for granted. For 663 million people, dirty water—or simply the lack of water—is completely normal. Every year, nearly one million people die from water-related causes.
So let’s not simply wish this crisis away, but be a part of the solution.
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Why Water?
We believe clean water can transform lives.
Clean water improves overall health and sanitation, provides time for education and employment opportunities, and encourages gender equality. Traveling to and from a water source not only eats up valuable time, but can also be dangerous for women, who gather water more frequently than men. Investing in clean water also supports local economies, as less time spent fetching water means more time pursuing economic opportunities.
Most importantly, it allows us to share the Gospel with men, women, and children around the world. We have seen time and time again that clean water is the single most powerful way to bring holistic health to an impoverished community.
Deep Bore Wells
Where climate and geography permit, drilling deep into the earth for clean water offers the most reliable and sustainable water source for those in need.
Specialized Water Projects
Communities have different water needs: filtration systems, cisterns, piping, storage tanks, hand dug wells, etc. Whatever the solution, we are committed to providing the infrastructure needed to get clean water flowing in impoverished communities.
Crisis: In Brief
With Global Access to Clean Water:
Giving clean water to a community opens the doors to a world of change. Water is the catalyst for overcoming the cycle of poverty and creating opportunity for growth and progress. We see clean water as more than just a benefit . . . it’s a new beginning . . . a second chance . . . hope for a better
The Bhil tribes of India have been without access to clean water for centuries. Overlooked by the government, these low-caste “untouchables” have been proclaimed filthy by society, and have little—if any—chance to break free from poverty.
Ralusingh lives among the Bhil tribes. He is 40 years old and a father to five children.
Rising up early in the morning, he began a two-hour journey to the nearest water source where he filled large jars and hauls them back home. This water, which was vital to their survival, was also a continual source of sickness to his family. With no medical facilities nearby, water-related illnesses abounded among the Bhil people. This included diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, and parasites, just to name a few. Without access to clean water, there was no hope for proper sanitation, let alone reprieve from these debilitating illnesses.
However, life for Ralusingh changed forever when a clean-water well was built in his village.
With ready access to clean water, Ralusingh has more time and energy to invest in his family. His children, who have been freed from perpetual sickness, can now focus on their education and dream about their future. Moreover, Ralusingh’s work in agriculture has now begun to flourish—producing food to feed his family and leftovers to sell.
Although the Bhil tribes of India have been overlooked by their government, they have not been overlooked by their Father in heaven—the Fountain of Living Water.
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Making her way down the narrow Rwandan path, Mary began the long trek to gather water before school.
During the genocide 20 years ago, Mary’s mother had only been 15 when rebel soldiers stormed her home and slaughtered the entire family in cold blood—her mother, father, and two little brothers.
Her mother had been fetching water at the time, so she was saved from the massacre, but not the gruesome scene that awaited her. Terrified the soldiers would return, Mary’s mother hid in the bush for weeks until the genocide finally ended. However, the weight of her mother’s past weighed heavily on her each time she went for water.
After filling her jerry can with murky water from a stagnant pool, Mary struggled to make her way home. Along with the rest of her family, she often fell sick—sometimes for weeks—from drinking the contaminated water.
The trip to gather water that had saved her mother’s life was now slowly taking the life from her children.
Today, Mary’s mornings are completely different. A well near their home produces clean, safe, drinking water for the community of Gicaca—impacting over 8,000 people. Mary’s walk to get water is much shorter, and she enjoys prolonged seasons of good health, enabling her to do well in school. Someday, she dreams of becoming an accountant.
Clean water was the catalyst for positive change . . . and will be a firm foundation for generations to come.
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Sumayiya has a wide, infectious smile that emanates the purity of childhood. Behind that smile, you’d be surprised at how much heartache she’s experienced for such a young girl.
When she was little, Sumayiya’s father died of AIDS, and she had to watch her mother’s health slowly decline through her childhood. For the last several years, she has lived with her grandmother who—though trying valiantly—struggles to give the care Sumayiya needs.
And on top of it all, Sumayiya must bear the burden of water. Customarily, women and girls throughout sub-Saharan Africa are tasked with the daily chore of gathering water. As a result, girls miss significantly more school than their male peers, which is reflected in lower literacy rates.
“We have to go to one borehole located a distance from our home where we spend a lot of time in a long line waiting to fill our jerry cans with water. This is very dangerous especially for young girls like me,” Sumayiya told us.
In Northern Uganda, one-third of all women have been victims of sexual violence. Many of these instances occur when girls are collecting water alone.
But all that changed when a clean-water well was dug in Sumayiya’s home village of Kirinda, Uganda. Today, she no longer has to walk miles to the closest water source or put herself at risk. With clean water nearby, she also has more time for school, studying, and helping her grandmother around the house. For Sumayiya, clean water gives her opportunity, choices, safety . . . and hope.
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Khumsingh Bhuryia is the father of three boys. These energetic bundles and their beautiful mother are his whole world. Khumsingh spent his days cultivating what agriculture he could in the dry climate, earning less than $60 a month. But often, he spent his days afraid for his family.
Khumsingh’s wife used to rise before the sun to collect water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. The long trip to their water source was exhausting, and the water often made them sick. But they had no other choice.
They live in a village called Tikadi Moti, a tribal region in India’s state of Madhya Pradesh. Though it is a community of 3,000 people, they are regarded only as Dalits—the “untouchables.” Their place in society means that the government has passed them over many times. They are the lowest of the low . . . unworthy of even clean water.
One day, Khumsingh received news that a clean-water well in Tikadi Moti. At first he was skeptical, but soon men came to survey the land. Several days later, they returned with a machine that drilled through the night.
Khumsingh knew what clean water would mean for his family and village—healthy children, stronger crops and livestock, and a better income.
He remembers the day clean water came to Tikadi Moti. He remembers letting the cool water run over his hands and watching his sons splash and shout. He remembers the day that water changed everything.
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Like most young girls in their village, Viviana and Samantha spent hours every day collecting water at a nearby swamp.
At 13 years old, Viviana was an expert on swamp conditions. She knew if they rose early in the morning, they could collect water while it was still “clean and clear,” though still as dark as coffee. She also knew if they waited until the rest of the village began collecting water, it would become “dirty.” Or in other words, it would turn to mud. Pulling out frogs and insects from their containers was also an everyday occurrence.
The girls also missed school regularly from water-related illnesses. Perpetual sickness was a way of life for the children in their village.
When our partners finished drilling a clean-water well near Viviana’s home, the girls learned an entirely new definition of clean drinking water. They also learned an entirely new rhythm of life—one that no longer involved hours at the swamp or continual sickness.
“This well is a clear sign of God’s love reaching the remote place where they live,” our partner reported. “At the end of the well dedication, 26 people prayed and received Jesus as their personal Savior.”
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Our strategy is to provide communities with sustainable, high quality
infrastructure to keep clean water flowing year-round.
Specialized Water Projects
Varying climates and geography present a range of challenges when it comes to implementing water projects. We strive to offer customized solutions for each community based on their specific needs. We have the capacity to drill deep-bore wells, construct cisterns, implement complex piping and purification systems, provide water storage systems for drought seasons, and much more.
Maintenance Training
Far too often, water projects become obsolete from simple mechanical malfunctions. To combat this, we recruit members of each community to be specially trained in the mechanical upkeep of the well site. Empowering people to take pride in the survival of their water project promotes dignity and emphasizes ownership.
Since 2009, World Help has provided 706 wells and water projects in 15 countries around the world.
Host an Event
Advocate in your community by hosting a screening presentation or event to raise awareness.
Donate
Give a gift to support the construction of ongoing water projects all around the world.
We believe water equals life. For years, we have been dedicated to providing clean water to developing communities around the world—lifting them from sickness and restoring health, prosperity, and potential. We’ve seen transformation on a massive scale by simply adding water . . . clean water.
Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a pre-requisite to the realization of all other human rights.”
—The United Nations
