A clean water beneficiary in Kenya comes to faith in Jesus.
Dama attended a viewing of the Jesus film with others in her Kenyan village and her life hasn’t been the same since. “I saw how Jesus was suffering for us. That compelled me to give my life to Christ,” she said.
Women like Dama are learning about good hygiene practices during community-wide trainings.
Community-wide Jesus film showings and Bible distributions accompany Samaritan’s Purse water and hygiene programming throughout Kenya, and through these efforts many beneficiaries like Dama are hearing the Good News and coming to faith in Jesus.
Dama said that the Samaritan’s Purse staff who worked in her village to provide clean water cared about her, and that through them she “sensed the love of God.”
Dama had no religious beliefs before becoming a Christian. She often brought her eight children to a witch doctor when they were sick. Now, she takes them to the hospital when medical care is needed and prays for them and reminds them of promises in God’s Word.
“God is my Shepherd. That gives me comfort, and that comfort gives me hope,” she said.
Dama regularly attends a nearby church and is growing in her relationship with God. One of her favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Clean Water for the First Time
Before Samaritan’s Purse came to her village, Dama walked one hour each way to the nearest water source. She only brought home what she could carry, which meant she usually made the trip in both the early morning and evening.
Household water filters help ensure that families can enjoy safe drinking water.
“There was no alternative,” she said. “I would get tired but, in spite of the pain, I had no choice.”
Our teams excavated a water pond in Dama’s village so that the area women would not have to walk as far to get water. We also provided Dama a household filter to ensure that the water was safe for drinking, bathing, cooking, and washing clothes.
Dama now has more time at home with her children and more time to tend her garden and other household responsibilities. And, thanks to the water filter, the family is much healthier because they’re not consistently dealing with diarrhea and other waterborne-related illnesses.
When the children were sick they didn’t attend school and Dama struggled to afford the medication needed to help them feel better, sometimes having to borrow money. Now, with the money she’s saving on medical bills and medication, Dama can buy more food for her family and pay her children’s school fees.
“It was very discouraging and disappointing when my children stayed home and the rest were learning at school,” she said. “I used to regret so much—I never went to school. I want them to change their situation.”
Dama is grateful that her children now have the hope of a brighter future.
“I’m very thankful for what Samaritan’s Purse has done—and making it possible for me to know the Lord,” Dama said. “What God has done in my life is just too much.”
