- International YWAMer

by Lauren Nelson

Water isn’t just about satisfying thirst on a hot day. Without water, your body cannot survive. So we drink the water that is available.

For a significant portion of the world, drinking the water that is available brings sickness and disease. In fact, 80% of illness in the two-thirds world is related to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

In some parts of the world, there simply isn’t any water – at least not that can be accessed from the surface. And environmental abuse has caused climate change in areas that have previously had no problem getting water.

Because water is such an essential element to life, water access and sanitation projects are a means for many YWAM teams to express the love of Christ in communities all over the world.

South America is not a place generally associated with a lack of water, but in northern Argentina, a dry and desert region, water is a valuable asset. The YWAM ministry, Panal en el Desierto (Honeycomb in the Desert), began digging wells and installing water pumps here after touring the Chaco region during a drought.

“We found the rivers and lagoons totally dry and the indigenous people were depending on the water that the municipality brought to them,” said Luis Viviant, the director of Panal en el Desierto.

Normal rainfall for the region is around 900 mm, but during a drought, numbers dropped to 620 mm. The water table was lowered by 10 meters, which caused access problems for the 400,000 aborigines living in the region. The water delivered to the region, often goes bad sitting in cisterns where it is stored.

“The water gets contaminated because it doesn’t have any circulation or movement in the cisterns,” Luis said. “In the lagoons, it gets dirty because animals use it, they fall in and die.”

The name Honeycomb in the Desert refers to the honey that is a main staple of the aboriginal diet. Luis’s wife thought it was appropriate because the team was bringing sweetness and life by bringing water. The YWAM team began digging wells and installing water pumps to provide fresh water to villages all over the region.

“A manual water pump can supply about 200 people with their daily needs for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing their clothes,” Luis said. Each pump costs $800 US to install, but the impact on villages has been tremendous, as confirmed by local authorities, schools and churches.

Across the Atlantic in Tanzania, water is obtainable for some only by walking several kilometres to get it. Though many people know they should boil the water to make it safe for drinking, they often do not put in the time, effort and cost to boil it, said Dr. Joel Carpenter, a Family Practice Physician with YWAM’s Uzima Mission Clinic in Mwandege.

“There is a common problem with water-borne diseases here – causing diarrhoea, typhoid and infections,” Dr. Carpenter said. To improve water quality, Dr. Carpenter connected with SON International, a mission group in Dar es Salaam, which produces water filters for use in the home.

The filters are quite simple to construct – just a concrete container filled with layers of sand and gravel – but they effectively remove sediment, bacteria and worms that affect the health of the community.

“I have helped a few dozen people install them in their homes,” Dr. Carpenter said. “It seems to really reduce their risk (for disease.) Once people see the filter in use, they absolutely want one in their own home.”

Not only does the water filter help families stay healthy, it also opens doors to share the gospel with villagers, Dr. Carpenter said.

“If a group / team comes to their village and digs them a new well or brings them filters, they are often more open to hearing about Jesus also. The analogy of dirty water being transformed to clean can be used to describe our lives of sin being transformed to clean and holy through the work of Christ.”

Ramesh and his team in Western India began working with water as a way strategy to meet the needs of their region, with the hopes of sharing their faith.

“Some of the surrounding villages had a scarcity of water,” Ramesh said. “One of our YWAM leaders suggested a unique solution – instead of starting from scratch to build a water program, why not team up with the Christian Broadcasting Network in India?

“He suggested we contact the Christian Broadcast Network because they had been doing bore well projects in (other parts of India.) It’s been very successful,” Ramesh said.

The YWAM team contacted CBN in Hyderabad and explained the water situation. CBN then asked the team to do the groundwork and survey the water situation in the area. Government officials were very helpful and in January a four-person team came from Hyderabad to begin work on the wells.

“While in the process of the project, CBN identified more villages that needed water. In total, they ended up drilling 24 bore wells with pumps in 15 villages,” Ramesh said.

Each village paid for their own well, but the pipes and labour were provided by CBN. At every dedication Ramesh shared his own testimony, and affirmed that Jesus had given them this gift and not forgotten them.

Local churches are partnering with YWAM to continue to visit these villages. As a result, there are 15 more villages in Western India that have access not only to water, but to the living water Jesus spoke of in John 4.

Are you interested in developing a project related to water in your area? Why not consider YWAM’s Environmental and Resource Stewardship School (EARS). Hosted at YWAM centres in the USA and Costa Rica, the school covers topics such as water development, storage, delivery, and treatment; sanitation for the poor; hygiene; and using water as a tool to bring both spiritual and abundant life to communities. EARS is a great training program for those wanting practical platforms for both short-and long-term service.

For information, contact: www.ywamsalem.org/ears (Oregon, USA – EARS starts in June) and www.ywamheredia.com (Heredia, Costa Rica – EARS starts in January)

Tell us about water projects you are involved in – write with your story to : iy@ywam.org