Would You Give This to Your Child?

Imagine your child asking you for a glass of water, and you are forced to give them the only water that is available:  a dirty, cloudy glass of liquid.  You are not sure what is in it, nor do you know if this time the water will make your two boys sick again.

“My children say the water is dirty and they don’t want to drink it,” Marisela, the children’s mother told us. “I tell them that this water is all we have.  We have no other option.” 

The family lives in the mountains of Guatemala. To get water Marisela told us she walks 20 minutes to a hose that provides nothing but cloudy, bacteria filled water from a hillside collection pond.  They make that trip 3 times a day.   

“I fill several bottles and my son and I carry them slowly until we get to the house,” said Marisela. “It is difficult and very tiring.”

When the water in the hose stops running, they must travel even further to a second source, a bacteria filled pond.  

“We have found dead animals, frogs, worms inside that pond,” added Marisela. 

And the children have been getting sick after they drink the dirty water. “Sometimes they vomit and most days they have diarrhea,” their mom shared.

Marisela does her best to treat their stomachaches.  Sometimes she has to take them to a clinic.  “Sometimes we ran out of food because we had to buy medicine instead,” she said. “My fear is that they will get sick and die because we don’t have clean water.” 

Then thanks to YOU Operation Blessing built a water system there.  First, we created a retention pond to collect water. It is then delivered by pipe to a large tank where it is purified.  Finally, we installed a network of pipes to bring the clean water to Marisela and 37 other homes in the community!  

“This water tastes so much better!” declared the grateful mother. “Now my kids say they feel happy. Thanks to Operation Blessing and the donors who gave us this water project.”

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!