Celebrating World Water Day, March 22
But when your children are sick from drinking dirty water, every day is World Water Day.
Wilda is a single mother of three children who does laundry for others to provide for her family. In 2012, she suffered a case of cholera from drinking contaminated water. Soon after her own illness, her mother died of cholera. Today, though the Water Women in her area must walk for 45 minutes to get water from the rainwater reservoir, Wilda says, “I am glad to be among those who had a chance to receive one of the water filters…”
Leonard lives alone after being abandoned by her children. She has continuing stomach and other physical ailments after years of drinking what she calls “raw” water. Even with these challenges, she is a woman of hope. “Today I feel very lucky because I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to get such a wonderful filtering system,” she says. “Thank you so much for that exceptional gift!!! May God keep blessing you for that job!!!”
These are just two of the thousands of Water Women whose lives and communities you have changed.
Ten years ago in Honduras, a small group of volunteers from Kentucky gave ten filters to ten women to see if this would break the cycle of deadly water-borne illnesses. Out of that first effort grew what would become Water With Blessings, a grassroots Community in Mission with world-wide impact.
Today, there are more than 100,000 filters in the hands of Water Women in countries all across the world. And while many good organizations dig wells and perform other services to provide access to water, in most of the developing world the people still need a filter to eliminate parasites and other contaminants.
In other words, they need the Sawyer PointONE Filer. They need Water With Blessings. They need you.
As you know, we had to postpone our Grand Opening that was to be celebrated in conjunction with World Water Day tomorrow, March 22, until April. But we will use this occasion and this week to bring you stories of Water Women who face their challenges with courage and hope, because they know our Community in Mission is there to support them through our work and prayer.
To read more about these and other women, please click on the link below.
At Water With Blessings, and for our Water Women, every day is World Water Day.
From The Philippines:
With Hope, everything is possible!
Our trained water women have been praying fervently for a miracle that someday some charitable organization somewhere on earth would come rescue the contaminated water supply in their areas.
Lo and behold, with the grace of God, Water With Blessings came to the Philippines in June, 2016. Prayers were finally answered! Alleluia!
Looking back and moving forward, the majority of their undrinkable water supplies turned into crystal clear and safe drinking water. They used to, primitively, filter the water using cloths and boiling prior to consumption. This process can be very expensive, considering that the majority are unemployed. Thanks to WWB for providing Sawyer PointONE filters and saving many lives.
Practically all water-borne bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illnesses have been eliminated. This has saved many lives, particularly among the most vulnerable infants and children. The mortality rate has gone down to practically zero in some areas, and continues to improve as our missions expand to the most remote islands and our neediest countrymen.
Our WWB Philippines team appreciates the continued support from WWB HQ, where Sr. Larraine and her staff provide these precious filters for our poorest of the poor people in the Philippines.
Two reports from Anse-à-Galets, La Gonâve, Haiti:
Wilda is a young, single mother born with a disability. She is twenty-nine years old and has three children. She often has pain in her waist, suffers fevers, and is anemic.
She takes care of the children by doing laundry for people. In 2012, she contracted cholera from drinking contaminated water and almost died. Then her mother died from cholera a few months later.
In her community, the people have to walk for more than forty-five minutes to get water from a rainwater reservoir. After the training sessions she said: “I think you came late in this community. If we had the chance to get those water filters, my mother and other people around here wouldn’t have died. We lost a bunch of people; most of them were children under ten.
“But anyway, I think it will help us to fight against the scabies, vaginal infection, malaria, and so on. I am glad to be among those who had the chance to receive one of those water filters. From now on, I will no longer use raw water, and make sure my children and others drink clean water every day. Many thanks!!!!”
…
My name is Leonard Estavella. I am 58 years old, and live in Bousinette, a small village in the fourth section of Grand Lagon. I have four children. I am a widow woman. I live by myself in a small straw house. I am actually an abandoned mother, all of my children turned their back on me years ago.
Two years ago, I went to a hospital in Mirbalais due to a distended belly. After the examination the doctor said that I had nothing abnormal inside my belly, but a kind of liquid. They didn’t give me any medication. Now, I have a persistent bellyache and can’t sleep at night. I have no one to help me and don’t think I will get rid of this unknown illness.
However, today I feel very lucky because I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to get such a wonderful filtering system. I didn’t even have purification water tablets to treat water. Our worst fear in the community is the well-water that we use. Most of the people around here have scabies on their skin – even the babies. A lot of children die every year. Sometimes they don’t even have the chance to take them to hospital.
Now I think we finally have a solution. No more victims due to raw water. I will make sure I treat water so as to use it on daily basis. As I promised during the training session, I will share my filter with my neighbors.
Thank you so much for that exceptional gift!!! May God keep blessing you for that job!!!