(Photo courtesy Water for Good via Facebook)
Central African Republic (MNN) — Continually in and out of crisis, the Central African Republic (CAR) is no stranger to turmoil.
See timeline of CAR conflict here.
“It gets old. People get tired of hearing the same old story,” says Jim Hocking, founder of Water for Good.
In every CAR crisis, Water for Good teams make sure people can access clean water and the Living Water of Christ.
“There are many villages which still do not have access to clean water, nor access to the Gospel, and we want to give them both.”
2015 CAR crisis and impact
An estimated 27,000 people have fled Bangui so far.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Springing from a weekend clash in the capital city, this week’s CAR crisis is reportedly the worst bout of violence in 2015.
Between 35 and 40 people have been killed, and thousands of Banqui residents are taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
“This was nothing short of an attempt to take power by force,” interim President Catherine Samba Panza remarked, after cutting short her visit to the UN General Assembly.
Even though Water for Good is a stable presence in the midst of CAR crisis, that doesn’t mean they’re immune to fall-out.
Water for Good offices were looted, and bandits stole a bunch of important equipment.
“We lost motorcycles; we lost inverters, computers. We have to pretty much start over,” Hocking explains.
See pictures of Water for Good’s looted offices here.
And yet, despite the losses, “We’re not leaving. There’s still a work to be done.”
An in-country representative of Living Water International, Water for Good drills and maintains wells throughout the CAR.
“We’ve drilled over 600 wells in the country,” Hocking says. “We’re taking care of nearly 1,000 wells.”
Water for Good helps at least a half-million people get clean water on a consistent basis, even when fighting flares up.
Approximately 500,000 people enjoy clean water, thanks to Water for Good.
(Image courtesy Water for Good)
“If maintenance isn’t done,” Hocking explains, “[water pumps] actually break apart, and then it takes more work to get it going.”
Hocking is no stranger to CAR crisis. It’s partly why he started Water for Good (then called ICDI) in 2003.
“[We] decided that there’s something we needed to demonstrate to the people of the country, and be able to show them that God really does love them and does care for them,” Hocking recalls.
Starting in 2003 with well maintenance and repair, Water for Good has since expanded to include well-drilling and community development.
“We were on the road to recovery [from the 2013/14 CAR crisis],” says Hocking. “This will probably set them back awhile.”
Please pray for peace, and consider helping Water for Good recover their losses.
“We have a site to ask people to give towards the crisis situation,” Hocking says.
