Clean Water Project
When people think about a clean water project, they often picture wells or filters that provide communities with safe drinking water. But proper sanitation is also part of the solution.
At least 892 million people openly defecate daily, and 2.4 billion people lack toilets or latrines. All of this pollutes nearby water sources. In fact, 80 percent of the world’s water is rendered unclean by human activities (from washing to defecating).[1]
Janya and her daughter are one example of those who’ve benefited from GFA World’s clean water project in the form of toilets.[2]
Janya and most of her fellow villagers didn’t have private places to relieve themselves. They were forced to go outside at night and risk everything from discomfort during floods in the monsoon season to attacks from wild animals, snakes or cruel men. Children often went in farm fields, which seeped into crops and caused many people to suffer from ailments such as cholera, polio, jaundice and paralysis.
The local GFA pastor, Vidur, had been searching for a way to help for over a decade. GFA World started a program building toilets, and he asked for four in the village. Janya gladly offered her land for one.
A villager exclaimed that the toilets “saved the lives of people from illness” as he watched GFA build a concrete outhouse.
The private outhouses not only promote physical health by preventing disease transmission, but also uplift spirits by demonstrating Christ’s love and care for people’s everyday needs.
GFA World has built three more toilets in this village, promoting proper sanitation to every villager in the form of health and privacy. Through these facilities, villagers continue to learn how deeply God loves them and cares for their bodies and their souls.
Get Involved
About 2.4 million deaths can be prevented every year with proper sanitation, water and hygiene.[3]
You can help people like Janya get access to clean water and safe sanitation by donating money for an outdoor toilet here.
Learn more about access to clean water
[1] “Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.” United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/. Accessed December 23, 2021.
[2] “Welcome to Their Toilet.” GFA World. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/welcome-to-their-toilet/. December 2014.
[3] Dey, Nepal C. & Sifat Rabbi. “Exploring the Gap Between Hand Washing Knowledge and Practices in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.” BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-89. Jan. 30, 2013.