Early in the morning, a mom and her teenage daughter set out for the nearest water source in which those in her village have access.
It is going to be a long, five-mile walk, but it’s necessary in order for her family to receive clean water.
Her daughter helps her with this task instead of attending the local school. The walk back home seems even longer as they now carry heavy buckets of water. The task is daunting, but one that must be done.
This scenario is common in many parts of the world, as many women and children throughout the world spend six hours each day collecting water.
While many of us don’t even think twice when we turn on the faucet, 663 million people throughout the world lack access to clean water. That’s one in every nine people.
The need for clean water is great, and Pure Water, Pure Love (PWPL), a ministry of the national Woman’s Missionary Union, has a goal of meeting this need by providing water filters for those serving overseas and grants for water projects that deliver clean water to communities around the world.
For one ministry in Gonavies, Haiti, PWPL was able to provide four wells for a community experiencing extreme drought.
The wells in this community have provided clean water to an orphanage, allowing residents to have immediate access for bathing and laundry.
Most important, the people in the community are learning daily about Jesus Christ as their most basic physical needs are being met.
In 2016, PWPL provided a grant for a church in Kentucky to assist with a water project in Granbouchi, Haiti, with the purpose of distributing water filters.
They delivered 85 filters to the community, and used five filters for a community water station.
This allowed the entire 500-person village to have clean water available. As a part of this ministry, those in the community were trained in healthy water practices and how to maintain the filters.
Recently, PWPL has provided a grant to provide a well for two communities in Cuba.
These are areas in which the local water source is only turned on a couple of times a week, limiting the access of clean water. These wells will provide a much needed continual source of water for these communities.
In addition to providing funds for water projects, PWPL also provides water filters for those serving overseas. Families can remain healthy while sharing God’s love with those around them.
One family serving in South Asia recently wrote, “Thank you so much for blessing our family with water filters through PWPL. Knowing that we will be able to have safe drinking water for our family, especially our little girls, takes such a load off of us.” This family can now stay healthy as they share about Jesus – the Living Water.
While the reality of this need may seem overwhelming, the good news is that your group can be involved in providing clean water resources through PWPL.
March 22 is World Water Day. Pray for God to show you how you and your church can be a part of this ministry. Consider these options:
- Host a 5K run in your community to raise money and awareness for clean water needs around the world.
- Challenge those you know to collect change in an empty water bottle for pure water needs.
- Host a kids’ water day at your church as a way to share with children about the need for clean water.
- Pray for those serving in areas where clean water resources are lacking. Pray that they will be able to share with others about the living water.
Lena Plunk is ministry consultant for mobilization and PWPL project manager with the national WMU in Birmingham, Alabama. You can follow her on Twitter @lenaplunk. Learn more about PWPL here.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series for World Water Day 2017 (March 22) focused on Baptist initiatives to provide clean water around the world.
Previous articles in the series are:
Ensuring Drinking Water Flows in Ethiopia, Kenya
Teaching Ghana’s Villages How to Repair Broken Wells
How One Church Helped 200,000 Get Drinking Water
