Kenya (MNN) — Severe drought continues to ravage East Africa. No water means no food, and the number of people relying on food aid in Kenya rose from 1.1 million in February to 2.6 million last month.
Earlier this week, Kenyan authorities paid nearly $3 million USD to 15,000 farmers to help them keep their livestock alive. At least 2,000 animals have reportedly perished due to drought in one county alone.
Drought or no, it’s not easy to locate water in the remote communities where Kenya Hope works. “It’s typical for them to walk miles to go get water from a river and then have to carry it back home,” Executive Director Joy Mueller tells us.
“[In drought] it’s even worse because if the rivers dry up, then it’s even a harsher, more serious situation.”
The importance of clean water…
Nkoisusu villagers used to gather water from a dirty pond.
(Screenshot)
According to the World Health Organization, 785 million people worldwide don’t have safe, drinkable water — water that’s located in or near their home, available when needed, and free from contamination. This includes 144 million people who drink directly from “surface” sources like streams or lakes.
Dirty water is a common problem in remote Kenya.
“Probably 95% of the people we work with do not have access to clean water,” Mueller says. “We have had people die from parasites or waterborne diseases.”
Before Kenya Hope dug them a well, villagers in Nkoisusu used a large hole in the ground as their water source. “When it rains, all the water collects there,” Mueller explains.
“This watering hole is not used just by the people, it’s used by all of the animals… goats, sheep, zebras, wildebeest, elephants.”
Animal waste isn’t the only thing polluting this water, Mueller adds. “They will spray their livestock for ticks and other things, and these chemicals go into the water.”
(Photo courtesy Kenya Hope)
Earlier this year, Kenya Hope teamed up with a California church to supply the people of Nkoisusu with clean, drinkable water. You can read about it here in Kenya Hope’s June newsletter, or watch this video summary.
As the drilling began, Mueller says her team wasn’t sure what to expect. “We’re in the Rift Valley, so sometimes your water can be salty. We didn’t know what kind of water we would get out of the ground,” she explains.
Thankfully, after drilling more than 600 feet into the earth, they found “liquid gold.”
“As the water came up and we tested it and even tasted it, it has almost zero amount of salt. It is the most beautiful, clean, sweet water and we’re just really praising the Lord,” Mueller says.
…and Living Water
Along with physical needs, Kenya Hope wants to meet spiritual needs in rural villages. They accomplish this through Pastor Training seminars, Vacation Bible School, Chronological Bible lessons and audio Bible distributions.
(Photo courtesy Kenya Hope)
During Mueller’s latest trip to Nkoisusu, one of the elderly villagers approached her.
“He was holding one of the audio Bibles and he said, ‘Last year, you came here and you gave me this audio Bible. I want you to know that this is my best friend now. I have learned so much from listening to God’s Word’.”
Learn more about Kenya Hope’s ministry here.
“Because we were able to give them physical clean water, they are very responsive to hearing and accepting the Living Water, the Word of God,” Mueller says.
How to help
In the coming weeks, a matching gift doubles every contribution to Kenya Hope’s clean water program. Even $5 can help provide remote villagers with clean water, Mueller says. Click here to give online.
“Physical water is one of the ‘ABCs’ of life. As we provide that to these communities, [it opens] the doors for us to share Living Water, which is God’s Word.”
Header image courtesy of the World Health Organization.
