Clean Water. Changed Lives.
Water is necessary for life, and that’s why Samaritan’s Purse is working in communities around the world to provide hurting people with access to clean water in Jesus’ Name.
Samaritan’s Purse works to bring clean water, sanitation supplies, and essential hygiene education to many thousands of people around the world. These water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects in countries like Vietnam, Sudan, Haiti, and elsewhere transform lives.
Clean Water Strengthens
In the towering mountains of northern Vietnam, Samaritan’s Purse works with multiple schools to provide clean water to thousands of students. These rural boarding schools once relied on inconsistent and contaminated water sources from mountain streams to drink, cook, and bathe. Children often suffered from waterborne illnesses that caused them to miss class.
This was the former situation at one school in Yen Bai Province, until Samaritan’s Purse provided and installed two large reverse-osmosis systems. This infrastructure supplies the school’s nearly 1,000 students with 250 liters of water every hour. Two tanks also store clean water to be used during the dry months.
Previously there was not enough water to go around, Mrs. Nong, a teacher, explained. But now it overflows. “The water system greatly improves the students’ health, and they particularly enjoy it because they know it’s reliable,” she said.
Inside the classrooms, these same students are taught the basics of personal hygiene. Taps installed around the school by Samaritan’s Purse are constantly in use as students put their education to practice, implementing the six-step handwashing method they learned through our program.
“I am very happy,” said Hui, a student. “I understand the importance of keeping myself clean and cleaning my hands.” Samaritan’s Purse has educated over 2,000 students in Vietnam on essential hygiene practices this past year, but the impact doesn’t stop there.
Essential Education Empowers
At the annual WASH Club innovation contest hosted by Samaritan’s Purse, groups of students from schools throughout northern Vietnam have the opportunity to pitch their own ideas to improve the health of their school and community.
One WASH group presented their idea for constructing sand-and-gravel water filtration systems for households in their community. They took home the first-place prize. Now, with funding and guidance from Samaritan’s Purse, Su’s team is excited to help those around them.
“The water in our hometown is very dirty, but we want to start the project so that the people can have clean water to use in their daily life,” said Su, a club member, after her group’s presentation.
Another team pitched the idea of having handwashing stations along the streets, and another fashioned trash into recycled art to prevent waste.
“Everyone in their WASH Club is a champion and supports the health and hygiene of their school and community,” said Dave Kletzing, the country director for Samaritan’s Purse Vietnam.
Eternal Hope Uplifts
In Sudan and Haiti, where violent conflict has decimated entire communities and turned upside down the lives of millions of people, Samaritan’s Purse is also providing clean water in Jesus’ Name.
Aisha* narrowly escaped with her children when armed groups raided her community in Sudan. After a grueling three-week journey through the wilderness, the young mother of four arrived to a displacement camp with nothing. Near the stick home she built, however, there was a well drilled by Samaritan’s Purse. “I can’t believe it… Samaritan’s Purse has come to help in our time of need,” Aisha said of the well near her temporary home.
In Jerom’s community in Haiti, a drought stemming back to 2022 caused rivers and springs to dry up. As a result, residents walked miles to find water at the nearest lake, which was highly contaminated.
“My community and I had lost all hope that there would be a change in our living conditions.”
Identifying the need, our water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) team drilled a borehole and installed a solar kiosk, providing water to 500 families in the community.
“I don’t have enough words to thank God for sending the Samaritan’s Purse WASH team into our community to bring us good water,” Jerom said. “They took away our suffering and brought life back into the community. Since we were given our own water kiosk, we haven’t stopped praising God for the provision of treated water.”
Clean Water Opens Doors Close to Home
Over the past year, Samaritan’s Purse has had unique opportunities to help with clean water following major natural disasters in the United States. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Samaritan’s Purse stationed three separate water points across western North Carolina. Our large filtration systems supplied over 500,000 liters of pure drinking water to thousands of people after essential infrastructure was damaged by the ruinous storm. And when residue from wildfires contaminated the water supply in California, Samaritan’s Purse also installed a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis system for a local fire station in the Pacific Palisades community.
“The water system enables us to do our job better and serve the public and community around us in these trying times,” said Tommy Kitahata, a captain at Fire Station 69 in Pacific Palisades, California.
Please pray for our WASH teams and those they serve around the world.
