UNICEF estimates between 68 and 84 percent of South Asia’s water is contaminated with pollutants.[1] More than half of this contamination is due to arsenic, a toxic natural element that can cause a multitude of health problems.[2] Water contamination is a major problem in many of the villages where Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion work.
On World Water Day, Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion, alongside local churches, organized awareness rallies at villages in the surrounding areas. They educated participants on the importance of clean water and shared about BioSand water filters, which provide clean, arsenic-free water. Participants learned how to store, purify and reuse water, and those in the worst of situations were gifted their very own water filters.
“My house is in a village, and we do not have access to pure water,” said attendee Magni. “We have to use tube well water, but it is unclean and poisonous. I am happy to receive a water filter. I and my family will use it every day.”
Sabita also received a water filter.
“We sometimes use pond water for drinking purposes because of lack of tube wells in our village,” Sabita said. “I am thankful to [the church] for providing me a BioSand water filter, as this will definitely keep us healthy.”
Local churches also distributed water filters to five schools and 23 needy families in other villages in the region. Most of these villagers depend on tube wells for their drinking water, but such wells are often contaminated with iron and cause many water-related diseases. The distribution was met with much gratitude by the recipients, including Baldasarre.
“For many years we were drinking the iron-contaminated water directly from the tube well, as we were unable to afford a water filter,” Baldasarre shared. “Thank you so much for providing us a water filter. Now we can drink clean and pure water.”
Events like these, organized by Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion and local churches, provide a way for all individuals to fight the water crisis by having access to fresh, clean water, regardless of their financial or social status.
See how you can provide a family with a much-needed water purifier that can transform their lives.
