In a small village in Africa, we listened to an elder who spoke almost angrily about the fact that many villagers were sick. He was appealing for a clinic to be built in the village to provide care for the ill. “Too many are dying, he cried.”
But even as he spoke, we witnessed a tragic irony unfolding before our eyes: an endless procession of villagers descending to the contaminated river, their empty water jugs soon to be filled with the very poison that was killing their loved ones. In that moment, the heartbreaking truth became crystal clear—while a clinic might treat the symptoms, a clean water well would eliminate the root cause entirely.
As the ancient wisdom reminds us: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The Hidden Cause of Sickness: Unsafe Water
The proverb, “Water is life,” is more than words. Waterborne illness is one of the leading causes of death and illness in developing nations, especially for children. Contaminated water carries bacteria and parasites that lead to diarrhea, typhoid, and skin infections. Families spend what little they have on medicine, while the true cure remains out of reach: safe drinking water.
Why Old Habits Are Hard to Break
Even after a well is drilled, the work doesn’t end there. Old habits are hard to break, and even in places where Petros Network has planted a community hub of hope and drilled a well, villagers may prefer the sweeter taste of river water, even though it makes them sick, over well water that may carry a light sulphur taste.
That’s why Petros Network works hand-in-hand with local leaders and extension agents. Education is vital. Often, people don’t realize that sickness comes from contaminated water, and that simple things like not collecting water from places where livestock graze are essential. Slowly, perspectives shift, and people begin to see that healthy water leads to healthy lives.
Click below to hear how vital education was to the success of a community water project in a rural village in Southern Ethiopia.
Stories of Change: A Village Transformed
A Holistic Approach That Brings Joy
At Petros Network, we work in many remote and forgotten places to bring both spiritual and physical hope to places where little existed before. We partner with indigenous leaders to plant churches, teach sustainability, and bring the redemptive lift that only comes with a holistic approach that deals with both the physical and spiritual aspects of communities.
Clean water doesn’t just quench thirst-it saves lives, strengthens families, and opens doors to the Gospel. And it starts with people like you.
