The water bucket was empty—again. A child was sick—again. Another child was struggling in his studies—again. All were results of a common culprit.
A Struggle to Survive
Ragnar’s family of six struggled to attain the essential necessity of water. The closest water source was a well located over half a mile away and was often the scene of conflict as men and women jostled for position in line or even pushed aside individuals, they considered inferior.
But the water they were fighting for was not pure. Many water sources in developing regions contain fecal matter, arsenic or other pollutants. Ragnar’s family continually battled sickness caused by the polluted water they drank.
The family’s plight was far too common. In the developing world, nearly 700 million people lack access to water that is fit to drink. UNICEF estimates 68 to 84 percent of water sources in South Asia are contaminated. People in these areas, such as Ragnar and his family, drink the only water available, but it often carries diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid or polio. With higher metabolisms and proportionately more water within their bodies, Ragnar’s four children were among the most vulnerable and often the first to get sick. They risked becoming some of the estimated 6,000 children who die every day from waterborne diseases, many of them preventable. One of the most common symptoms of these diseases is diarrhea, which depletes the body’s fluids. Though typically a minor symptom in developed countries, diarrhea kills 1.5 million children every year in areas such as Africa and South Asia.
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Jesus said if someone gives just a drink of water in His name, they will surely receive an eternal reward (Mark 9:41). Through GFA’s clean water initiative, you can help give an entire community life-giving, clean water for years to come, all in Jesus’ name.
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