June, 2014—”For many years, I drank from a swamp,” said Sharon Ogwang. She described how she and the other members of her community weren’t the only ones—animals did, too.
Sharon fell ill with an amoebic infection and was prescribed about six medications. “I had to spend all the money I had because I was really in pain,” she explained. “Every month, I was spending over 50,000 shillings (about $22).”
While the medicine may have treated Sharon’s symptoms, it couldn’t remove the root cause of her difficulties: dirty water. But a Samaritan’s Purse BioSand Water Filter—provided to Sharon by people like you—changed that.
“Ever since I started using my BioSand Water Filter, I’m no longer experiencing the stomach ache I used to suffer,” she said. “Because now I’m drinking good water, I see myself healthy; I see my children healthy.”
Sharon also reports positive changes on a community level as a result of families using BioSand Water Filters and applying hygiene training. “Since Samaritan’s Purse came to our village, I’m seeing changes in children, in adults, in everybody,” she said.
Something similar is happening in Tom’s community, Bung Teduka. It’s in a region of Uganda where only half the households have access to safe water. Like Sharon, Tom relied on water from swamps or open, contaminated wells for drinking. As a result, he and his family battled water-related illnesses like typhoid.
Then, because of Canadians’ donations to Samaritan’s Purse, our local staff visited Bung Teduka and recognized that the construction of a well could meet the village’s water needs. The community elected a Water User Committee to oversee the construction and maintenance of the well, and even created by-laws regarding its upkeep.
Now the more than 550 residents of Bung Teduka have access to clean water. The community takes pride in its newest asset and cares for the well daily.
“The well is sustainable, so our health can be maintained,” Tom says. “This well is like our Jesus, for it’s our savior here in Bung Teduka.”
Millions more are waiting for clean water and the Good News about Jesus. You can change that.
Sharon said, “We desire that our neighbors and friends who haven’t been reached with this help would also have the opportunity to benefit in the same way.”
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.