A Father’s Struggle for Clean Water

GUATEMALA – Every father wishes for his children to have enough—enough nourishing food to eat, clothes to keep them warm and, above all, plenty of clean water to drink. But for Adrian, raising three young sons, it wasn’t that simple. Among the rugged Sierra Madre highlands of eastern Guatemala, Adrian’s family lives in a small settlement called Caserio El Pinalito. For more than 30 years, the community had no clean water—until you intervened.

As a father, Adrian couldn’t afford to purchase enough water to meet their basic needs. Each bag of water cost $2.10—it held just two-and-a-half gallons. Although Adrian labored long and hard in the fields, his earnings never amounted to more than $8 a day. This ongoing father’s struggle for clean water shaped nearly every aspect of daily life.

The Daily Burden on a Father and His Sons

To get enough water for their family, Adrian and his sons—Milton (11), Lester (9), and Luding (6)—had to hike up a steep hill to a community hose two or three times a day, filling their jugs with water that they knew might make them ill. “One day when we got sick, my dad was very worried,” said Milton. “I saw him cry.”

“My dream was that we could have clean water,” Adrian told us. Then one day, Lester slipped—and slid downhill, hitting a tree and breaking his arm. Frightened, Adrian picked him up and took him to the nearest health center, a journey of two hours. “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” he said.

Turning Point: From Struggle to Solution

For Adrian and his family, the prospect looked bleak—water was too expensive, dangerous, or difficult to reach. But your compassion transformed this father’s struggle for clean water into a story of hope. Your kindness made the impossible, possible. Thanks to you, we built a rainwater harvesting project with a 4,000-gallon tank that now brings clean water to the entire community. The water goes through a filtration and chlorination process so that every household can safely enjoy it.

A Brighter Future for Every Family

For Adrian and his boys, that meant no more hazardous treks up the mountain. No more risk of getting sick from drinking contaminated water. Just the pleasure of turning on a tap outside their home—and having clean, clear water pour out. Water that means they can cook, bathe, drink, and wash their clothes safely. “We no longer have to go down to fetch water,” said this grateful father. “Now we just have to turn on the tap in our house.”

Thanks to caring friends like you, a father’s dream of creating a brighter future for his children has become reality for an entire community.