It is difficult to imagine living in a place where an essential resource such as water is scarce. Unfortunately, having a lack of water is a reality for many communities throughout the world. One of those communities, a small village in eastern Asia, knows what it means to live without easy access to water.
In the past, the only water resource for the people of the village was a small spring two kilometers away from the community. Retrieving water on a daily basis was not only inconvenient but also difficult, especially for the elderly.
The Women’s Federation of the village saw this as an imminent need in the community and decided to take action. Through funds provided by Covenant World Relief, the Federation was able to work with the community to construct 100 individual rainwater catchment systems.
As a result, the lives of 500 people and 200 animals have been improved. Community members worked together to construct the cisterns and upon completion they were excited about the water they could use to irrigate small vegetable gardens, give to animals and use for washing clothes and bathing.
Even more encouraging is that many families were willing to contribute some of their own funds in order to make their situation even better. Now, many houses have added an additional paved area in their compound which is used for activities including drying vegetables and washing clothes.
It is clear that God is at work improving the lives of the people in this village in Asia, and though there are many communities that are still in need of access to water, it is encouraging to know that one more community is able to experience the Good News of the Kingdom through something as basic as water.
–Written by Lauren Ernst, CWR intern
