Shallow wells and public health

"During the dry seaon, our old water source would dry up or any water remaining was extremely muddy. We would have to walk as many as 2 hours (one-way) to find another source that could be boiled for drinking. But now, this well is so deep! It supplies us drinking water - even during the dry season. And it only takes 5 minutes to walk there" Wilson says.

Wilson and his family (pictured on left) live in a community we serve. They have worked very hard to dig and construct a new shallow well for their village. We came along side them and provided the technical expertise and a few expensive materials that were needed to complete their work. Since this well has been functioning, many community members say that their families are experiencing less (if any) sickness.

In addition to having a clean water source, they have been taught how to keep their families healthy by storing their water safely and practicing good hygiene. Gadson (pictured bottom right) is one of our Public Health Educators who works hard to improve the health of our community members through education and demonstrations.

Next week, Gadson and I will be visiting a nearby village that has been suffering from a recent Cholera outbreak. (Cholera is a preventable disease (acute diarrhea) resulting from poor sanitation. It is rapidly fatal - infected persons can die within hours.) Gadson will be training trainers how to properly educate this community about good hygiene and sanitation practices - in order to prevent any further cases. Please pray that the Cholera is controlled, and that those identified cases will be successfully treated.