Clean Water Is Changing Lives!
One of the greatest highlights of the past month for our CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Program has been the drilling of three new water wells in the CHE villages of Thou-chok, Aguath, and Palek. These wells are bringing safe, clean water to approximately 2,400 people!
In South Sudan, an estimated 59% of the population still lacks access to safe water. Before these wells were drilled, women and girls in these communities often carried heavy 20-liter jerry cans for hours each day under the blistering sun. The journey consumed valuable time and placed tremendous physical burdens on families.
These wells mean far more than clean drinking water. They mean mothers gaining precious hours back in their day, children being protected from deadly waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, and girls having greater opportunities to attend school. Families can now wash their hands and clothes, while communities can grow vegetable gardens that improve nutrition and strengthen food security.
Each village that received a well contributed toward the cost of its well, creating genuine local ownership and a strong commitment to maintain these life-giving resources for generations to come.
A huge thank you to our partners Every Village for drilling these wells at a reduced cost, and to Beyond Water & Kiwis for South Sudan for helping fund them. If you feel led to be a “spring of water” in helping us drill more wells, each well costs $3,500 to drill.
Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
We Need Your Help!
2,000 People Without Food or Shelter
The situation is critical. Many Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have fled their homes because of violence and insecurity and have relocated to Tonj town, hoping to find safety. When our team went to visit them, we were shocked to discover approximately 2,000 people living without proper shelter—crowded together under mango trees with little or nothing to protect them from the elements.
Families are sleeping on the bare ground. Mothers are desperately trying to care for their children without food, shelter, or basic necessities. Some are so extremely hungry that they have resorted to eating leaves simply to survive.
We have a YouTube Video and I would encourage you to watch the video and see for yourself the heartbreaking conditions these families are facing. These are not statistics. They are mothers, fathers, and children who have lost their homes and are struggling simply to survive. They are in our town and as a ministry we cannot ignore their plight.
We want to respond with practical help. Our goal is to provide food and tarps for shelter to these families.
One Truckload Can Make a Difference
One truckload of food costs $20,000 and can provide food for about 2,000 people. This will not solve the problem, but it can prevent starvation. We are trying to make this food last for an entire month by asking families to carefully rationing it. The reality is heartbreaking: people may only be able to eat once every three days.
Imagine being a mother and knowing you may not have enough food to give your children even one meal today. Imagine having no home, no bed, and no protection from the rain.
We want to help, but this is something outside our operating budget and we cannot do it alone. Please prayerfully consider giving toward this food and shelter crisis? Your gift can help put food into the hands of hungry families and provide tarps to give them some protection and dignity.
Please pray. Please share. And if you can, please give.