Clean Water. Changed Lives.
Samaritan’s Purse is working in Jesus’ Name this World Water Day and throughout the year to provide clean water to people in need around the world.
After Hurricane Melissa devastated Salomie’s community in southwestern Jamaica, the only clean water available was what she could gather from collected rain and then treat with bleach.
“We weren’t sure what was safe to drink,” Salomie said.
Samaritan’s Purse quickly arrived to set up multiple water points, and Salomie was one of hundreds of residents soon delighted to see clean water flowing into their jerry cans.
In the hurricane’s wake, Samaritan’s Purse airlifted large-scale water filtration and mobile filtration systems for remote areas in Jamaica where mud-filled rivers threatened anyone who drank from them. In total, we established five high-capacity water points, each providing thousands of gallons of clean water purified from contaminated and brackish sources.
Leon, a resident of another hurricane-hit town in Jamaica, was grateful as he watched murky river water run through our SeaSpring mobile system and come out crystal clear.
“Thank God for that technology,” he said.
Salomie, Leon, and countless others were grateful to be protected from the many water-borne illnesses and contaminants that fill water supplies after disasters. Our systems also provided water to our Emergency Field Hospital in the city of Black River.
Water Keeps Students and Communities Healthy
In the towering mountains of northern Vietnam, Samaritan’s Purse works with multiple schools to provide clean water to thousands of students. These rural boarding schools once relied on inconsistent and contaminated water sources from mountain streams to drink, cook, and bathe. Children often suffered from waterborne illnesses that caused them to miss class.
At one school in Yen Bai Province we installed two large reverse-osmosis systems to supply the school’s nearly 1,000 students with 250 liters of water every hour. Two tanks also store clean water to be used during the dry months.
Inside the classrooms, these same students are taught the basics of personal hygiene. Taps we installed around the school are constantly in use as students put their education to practice, implementing the six-step handwashing method they learned through our program.
Previously there was not enough water to go around, Mrs. Nong, a teacher, explained. But now it overflows. “The water system greatly improves the students’ health, and they particularly enjoy it because they know it’s reliable,” she said.
Clean Water for Countries in Conflict
As conflict continues in Ukraine, water sources and infrastructure are damaged and destroyed. We’re partnering with churches to set up wells and water points for suffering families. We’re also providing water in Sudan and South Sudan for those fleeing violence.
As we serve worldwide in places of desperate need, providing clean water becomes the platform to share about the Living Water, Jesus Christ. Please pray for our WASH teams and those they serve around the world.
