How Can I Provide Access to Clean Water?
It’s a noble desire to provide access to clean water to people in need. Approximately 1.1 billion people worldwide, predominantly in developing regions such as Asia and Africa, lack access to safe drinking water.1 The contaminated water many of these individuals drink often leads to waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, polio and diarrhea. According to the World Water Council, such diseases “are the most common cause of illness and death among the poor of developing countries.”2 Many of these illnesses are preventable.
Access to clean water also eases the burden of collection. In places like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, many people must walk at least 30 minutes to collect water for their daily needs.3 This chore typically falls to women and girls and drains their time and energy from more fruitful endeavors, such as generating income or gaining an education.
There are numerous non-profit organizations through which you can help these men, women and children gain much-needed access to clean water. GFA World, for example, has been serving people in need since 1979. One avenue of this aid has been through clean water projects, providing clean water in Jesus’ name through BioSand water filters and Jesus Wells.
BioSand water filters are beneficial in areas that have ample access to water but the water is unfit to drink. These simple structures effectively filter out 98 percent of biological impurities and help protect families from waterborne diseases, greatly impacting their lives.
Keeva, for example, suffered from severe stomachaches because of the unsafe drinking water she consumed.4 It was her only option. Then she received a BioSand water filter from GFA pastor Kunja. With her drinking water now purified, Keeva’s stomachaches disappeared, and her health significantly improved.
Jesus Wells impact entire communities, offering clean water to approximately 300 people for up to two decades. Dug up to 600 feet deep and locally maintained, these wells provide water year-round, even in times of drought.
Like many in his area, Ragnar’s family of six struggled to obtain clean water.5 They walked over a half a mile to collect water, but this water was contaminated. His children often fell sick due to the unclean water they drank and struggled in school because of the physical ailments they battled. After receiving a Jesus Well, however, Ragnar’s entire village gained free access to clean water. Their health, and their lives, has vastly improved as a result.
1 Water Supply & Sanitation.” World Water Council. https://www.worldwatercouncil.org/en/water-supply-sanitation. Accessed August 11, 2021.
2 Water Supply & Sanitation.” World Water Council. https://www.worldwatercouncil.org/en/water-supply-sanitation. Accessed August 11, 2021.
3 “Water Inequality.” National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/water-inequality/. Accessed August 12, 2021.
4 “Filtering Out Sickness.” GFA World. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2020/03/filtering-out-sickness/. March 9, 2020.
5 “A Family’s Fight Against Contaminated Water” GFA World. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/a-familys-fight-against-contaminated-water-wfr21-03/. February 2021.