HONDURAS – At the tender age of 8, Jesús is far too familiar with the struggle for clean drinking water. Jesús and his three brothers live with their grandmother in the remote community of La Cuchilla, Honduras. Sometimes they have access to small, dirty community wells, but when the pools dry up the nearby river is their only other option.
The river lies some distance away, and young Jesús takes it upon himself to make the long trek there to save his grandmother the burden. “Carrying water has been very difficult. I told my brothers, ‘Let’s help Grandma and get water from the river.’” But river water doesn’t solve their problems. In fact, it often makes them worse. The contaminated water can make people get sick from drinking it—including Jesús’ little brother.
“People who get sick because they drink that water get a fever and diarrhea,” he explained. “It hurt me to see my little brother so sick.”Then, in the heat of the summer, the unthinkable happens: The river dries up as well. “It made us want to cry, because we ran out of water for several days,” Jesús said. But help was on the way.
“People who get sick because they drink that water get a fever and diarrhea,” he explained. “It hurt me to see my little brother so sick.”
-Jesús’
Thanks to friends like you and our local partners, Operation Blessing constructed a new community water system. We revitalized an existing well, installed a water pump and chlorinator, and built a storage tank and distribution network of pipes. This method now brings clean drinking water to 145 homes, two schools, and three churches! An excited Jesús said, “Now that we have water, we are not thirsty!”
His grandmother also expressed her thanks to those who made this project possible. “Now we have water near us. My grandchildren can bathe. I can wash their clothes. I thank the Lord that we no longer are suffering. We are so grateful for the project.”Because of our compassionate partners, Jesús and the rest of his community will have consistent access to clean water right from their homes. Additionally, hygiene and sanitation training will help them remain healthier—enabling children to attend school more regularly and parents to earn a living.
The gift of clean water truly transformed this community—from dry stones to flowing waters
