In every corner of the world, safe water, proper sanitation, and vital hygiene practices—like handwashing—save lives. They are the difference between health or sickness, opportunity or barriers, even life or death for families in need. Without them, life can be grueling and leaves families vulnerable to disease. But there is hope.
Philip is a Kenyan tea farmer and devoted, loving father who has been diligently caring for his four children ever since his wife died suddenly several years ago. Yet, he’d been helpless to stop the relentless cycle of fierce pain his kids endured due to waterborne illnesses.
“I had no hope for clean water, there was nothing here.” –Philip
They were sick so often that sometimes they could barely finish their typhoid medication before they fell ill all over again. Typhoid—a bacterial infection that typically brings high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting—and other illness plagued the little ones because they consistently drank dirty water.
Philip, who also often got sick, knew that the spring about a mile from his remote village home in Kenya wasn’t clean, but he felt his family had no other options. They needed water to survive.
“I had no hope for clean water,” he said. “There was nothing here.”
Philip’s children are now healthy and no longer have to miss school due to waterborne illness.
Two years ago, Philip saw God provide for his family in a way he never imagined. He received a household water filter from Samaritan’s Purse and his life hasn’t been the same since.
Philip and his children are finally healthy, which means the children aren’t missing lots of school, and that’s important to Philip. “I was not fortunate to go to school. I want my children to have a better life,” he said.
They now have clean, safe water not only for drinking, but also for bathing, cooking, and washing clothes.
And, Philip is saving money since the family is no longer weighed down by the burden of paying for expensive doctor visits and medication.
“I share the love of God in this community.” –Philip
Like everyone who is provided a water filter, Philip was also trained by Samaritan’s Purse on how to use the filter and practice healthy hygiene. In addition, Samaritan’s Purse trained him as a health and hygiene resource for his community, helping to meet both physical and spiritual needs in the households he visits.
“I am an ambassador in this community,” Philip said. “The entry point is clean water and hygiene in the home. When you meet the needs of others, people will see the love of God.”
Philip and fellow church members who received our filters and training began teaching others what they learned while also sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I realized the need to empower the church in evangelism,” he said.
In addition to training beneficiaries how to share their faith, Bible distributions and community-wide Jesus film showings accompany our water and hygiene programming.
As a result, over the past two years, Philip’s church has nearly doubled in attendance and has also started a church in a community where previously none existed. Other congregations in Kenya that we partner with are reporting similar stories of growth.
Philip is grateful to God for taking care of his family and bringing people in his community to saving faith in Jesus Christ. His favorite Bible passage is Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd—and it has been true in my life,” he said.
Our teams are also providing water filters for schools in Kenya.
Samaritan’s Purse is bringing clean water to areas in desperate need all across the world, and we’re doing this in Jesus’ Name and sharing the hope of eternal life in Christ.
In addition to individual households, we’re also providing water access in impoverished schools, communities, and refugee camps. Our teams are digging wells and water pans/ponds; setting up rainwater storage units; and restoring and rehabilitating water pumps, wells, and boreholes that have been unusable for many years.
We are also creating sanitation facilities such as hand-washing stations and latrines that will help people stay healthy and avoid waterborne diseases.
Please pray that as we continue to meet the physical needs for clean water, people will also come to understand their spiritual thirst and will receive Jesus Christ, the Living Water, as their Lord and Savior:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” (John 4:14).
Save the life of a child or adult in a developing country by providing safe water along with health and hygiene education that will help protect them from deadly, but preventable, diseases. Simple and effective water filters, community wells and water storage solutions, and sanitation facilities can all drastically improve lives and open doors to share the eternal hope of Jesus Christ.