Rwanda (MNN) — Across the world, over 748 million people suffer because they don’t have access to clean water. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have no water at all, but the water source may be a filthy stream.
Such was the case of Dativ and her five children. Dativ live Nyamugari, Rwanda, and the closest water source they had access to was a dirty stream. The hike was miles long, consuming valuable time that Dativ could have been using to provide food for her family. Instead, she had to haul a bucket of water to and from the stream.
(Photo Courtesy Living Water International)
Not only was the water hard to come by, it was also dangerous to drink. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get rid of the dangerous bacteria. She couldn’t even afford firewood to boil the water with to keep it clean.
And when her children got sick, the problems went even further than a physical ailment. She was forced to pay extensive medical bills, pushing herself and her family even further into debt.
The only escape from a life of poverty for the children was their education. With a good education, they could move beyond the poor village, but they were so sick for so long that they couldn’t attend school.
(Photo Courtesy Living Water International)
That’s where Living Water International came in. They installed a safe-water well in the community, providing public access to clean water as well as educational hygiene training.
Locals learned to wash their hands after eating or using the bathroom, to keep their dishes as clean as possible, and to cook balanced meals to keep their families healthy.
Now Dativ is able to stay home with her strong, healthy family instead of trekking daily to a dirty stream. She’s even planted a brand new garden, using her newly-found spare time to grow vegetables for her family to eat. Clean water has affected every aspect of her life.
Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately-needed clean water and experience “Living Water”–the Gospel of Jesus Christ–which alone satisfies the deepest thirst. This has been exemplified in the story of Dativ and her family, and you can help them work in the lives of even more families across the globe.
