NIGERIA – Today, young Kavnen has abundant clean water in his community because of Operation Blessing friends like you. Once bound by water scarcity in Nigeria, they now have a future with clean safe water.
Not long ago, the residents of his primarily Christian village called Ashibi would wake up as early as 4 a.m. to trek for water during the dry season. That really cut into their time for work, education, and family. And that trek took them to a stream where they would wait in line for water that might not even be safe to drink.
But Kavnen is not alone. All around the world, people suffer due to lack of clean water. This steals their time, their vitality, their health, and sometimes even their lives! Approximately 800,000 people—including nearly 300,000 children—die each year due to water and sanitation related illnesses.
Sustainable Water Solutions that Impact Communities
That’s why we’re so grateful to you. Because of our faithful supporters, last year alone Operation Blessing installed 155 water systems around the globe, providing clean water to approximately 36,000 beneficiaries. That’s a lot of people! Our water programs reach out to hurting villagers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In each case, we design the best system for that specific community. Our water experts take into consideration factors like geology, climate, available resources, and even culture in order to provide sustainable water solutions that will last long into the future.
In the case of Kavnen’s village, a well was the best course of action for this community. But we also utilize technologies like rainwater catchment, networks of pipes, solar power, filtration, chlorination, and even desalination to ensure that each community has the ideal system for its circumstances. Water might be made available in a nearby central location or piped straight to homes. In many cases, we are also able to offer handwashing stations, showers, and toilets for the residents.
As we dedicated the well in Kavnen’s village, a local pastor read from Matthew 11:28— “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Their new water system brought that promise alive for this village of Christians, as it freed them from the burden of water scarcity. It offered them a much more abundant life, thanks in part to your love and support! Now the blessing of a well has removed the bonds of water scarcity in Nigeria for Kavnen’s village.
Battling Water Scarcity Across the Globe
You also help to provide water in disaster scenarios. Recently, you gave clean water to survivors of Hurricane Otis in Mexico. And in Chile, we worked with a beverage company that stopped all other production to help us provide clean water to wildfire survivors.
Kavnen’s community sent their sincere thanks to you. “We are happy receiving this project because we have suffered from lack of access to clean drinking water,” said a villager named Iorakosa. “God has sent Operation Blessing to our rescue. We are grateful.”
We also offer you our sincerest gratitude for breaking the bondage that people suffer without proper access to clean water. You are ringing the bell of freedom throughout the world for those in need. God bless you.
