CLEAN WATER BRINGS HOPE

Heart For All Nations provide a water pump in a remote community in Sierra Leone, highlighting efforts to provide access to clean water through new wells.

One major problem in these villages is getting clean drinking water. Our outreach efforts in remote communities have highlighted the severity of the clean water shortage in many areas.

In most remote communities in Sierra Leone, people face a harsh reality: they lack access to clean drinking water. This problem worsens during the dry season, when shallow water sources dry up, leaving residents with few options. We saw this situation firsthand in Makikineh village during one of our outreach missions. Makikineh, located in the N'Gowahun Chiefdom in Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone, has 21 houses and about 260 residents, mostly children and youths. Our team aimed to connect with the community and find ways to solve their urgent need for clean water.

The villagers rely on a nearby river for their water supply. During the peak of the dry season, this river dries up, leaving small stagnant ponds. They fetch water from these ponds for drinking, bathing, laundry, and fishing. The water quality becomes so poor that it is foul and undrinkable.

We held a meeting with the community to talk about their water situation. They knew there was a problem but felt helpless to change it. The villagers shared that many people had visited in the past, promising to help them get a water well while taking money and even livestock. They felt deceived. We wrapped up the meeting by encouraging them to take action. We advised them to gather all local materials they could find in the community. We also emphasized the need to pray for a partner to provide the additional materials required for the project.

I brought in a local well digger to check the site, and the news was good. The community was committed to providing local materials, and we trusted that the Lord would provide us with the necessary funding. The community quickly began collecting materials from the area. However, we faced a significant challenge: we lacked sufficient funds to initiate the project. Then, God intervened. Shortly after we agreed to move forward with the village, I spoke with Pastor Alton Findlaytor from Heart for All Nations. I told him about our work, particularly the pressing need for clean drinking water in Makikineh village. By the end of our conversation, we had decided to explore ways to collaborate on solving the water crisis.

The community provided the necessary local materials, and Heart for All Nations funded the construction of the water well. The community's involvement made them proud to help solve a problem they once thought was impossible to solve. A few weeks later, they accessed clean and safe drinking water—a luxury they had missed for too long. 

This success led to the completion of additional water well projects over the next three years. Through faith and hard work, our team constructed ten additional water wells in seven communities, transforming lives and ensuring access to a fundamental human right: clean water.

 Pastor Daniel Kanu