Clean Water Ministry Can Be Dangerous

It’s easy to assume that a clean-water ministry would always be welcomed enthusiastically by people in places where clean water has never been available, but that isn’t the case. 
 
The most dangerous places in the world.
Many of our ministry partners work in literally the most dangerous places in the world to practice Christian ministry. People are often executed for being Christians. Churches can be illegal. Our ministry partners are often trapped between armies in a civil war. A few examples:

  • Terrorists In Mali ambushed and killed the head of the drilling operation that oversees construction of our wells.

  • In Cameroon, five of our ministry team members were murdered this year.

  • Boko Haram Terrorists murdered another Cameroonian disciple maker and well coordinator three years ago. 

‘What kind of man brings such a gift to people he doesn’t even know?’
This last story has a more positive ending, though. When the terrorists realized they had killed the man who brought water to their village, they were deeply grieved and asked, what kind of man brings such a gift to people he doesn’t even know? Impressed by the faith of the man they had killed, these terrorists came to their own faith in Jesus. They are now in prison where they have started a Bible study and are sharing their faith with 70 other prisoners.

Help us reach 7,000 more people. 
Our ministry partners are willing to put their lives on the line to help their neighbors. Can you help them? We’ve set a goal of raising $80,000 by the end of the year to provide clean water for about 7,000 people. Please help these people by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly contributor to the Living Water Project. Please click the DONATE button below.

LWP By the Numbers

As of October 2024, The Living Water Project has funded 1093 clean water projects in 28 different countries, with a total of $3,405,279 committed to clean water. Here is a breakdown of number of wells constructed in each country:

Zambia (222)

Togo (202)

Chad (100)

Liberia (97)

Malawi (87)

Ghana (69)

Cameroon (54)

Nicaragua (47)

Sierra Leone (41)

Nigeria (36)

Mali (33)

Guatemala (31)

Niger (13)

Benin (12)

Haiti (8)

Democratic Republic of the Congo (7)

India (6)

Kenya (5)

Senegal (4)

Burkina Faso (3)

Philippines (3)

Honduras (2)

Ethiopia (2)

Rwanda (2)

Sudan (2)

Uganda (2)

Dominican Republic (1)

Tanzania (1)

A Family Vacation to.... Zambia?

Instead of going to the mountains, the beach or a fancy theme park, in May of this year, Jessica and Scott Schwieger took their family to some of the poorest villages in the impoverished nation of Zambia. Jessica and Scott knew it would be a different kind of vacation and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for their children, Arlie, Abe and John to…

…share in the joy of villagers’ singing, dancing, laughing and cheering as they watch water bubble up from freshly drilled wells to give them clean water for the first time EVER! During their family “vacation”, the Schwieger family participated in the drilling of wells that now serve thousands of Zambians.

…meet some of the thousands of villagers who no longer have to worry about water-borne diseases because they now have clean water from 200 wells drilled in Zambia since 2011.

…get to know the people who make it all happen. They met Shadreck Sibwaalu, the staff at the Namwianga Mission, the drilling crew, the newly assembled maintenance crew and the village water committees.

…help plan a new system for well maintenance and repair to keep these wells pumping clean water for years to come. The Schwiegers helped set up a parts warehouse and support system to help local villagers keep their own wells running by providing hard-to-source parts and skilled labor to perform the most difficult repairs.

As we ‘Zoom in on Zambia’ all this month, please consider picking up where the Schweigers left off and help keep the funding for these clean water projects going! A button to donate can be found at the top of this page.

The Schwieger family’s vacation to Zambia. From L to R: Arlie Schwieger, Scott & Jessica Schwieger, local ministry partner Shadreck Sibwaalu, Gwangwazu Water Committee leader Jackson Sikumbani Simbumali, and Abe & John Schwieger. Gwangwazu is the location where LWP funded our first well in Zambia in 2013.

More of This!

Last year our ‘Zoom in on Zambia’ campaign helped fund this well in Kasangala B Village, which has been a blessing to both the village and numerous passersby.

Help us bless more people with life-giving clean water by contributing to this month’s Zoom in on Zambia campaign. Our goal is $31,000 between now and Augusr 31st. Link to donate above!

WHY ZAMBIA?

Why does The Living Water Project focus on Zambia each year?  Answer: Because clean water in rural portions of Zambia continues to save lives and our on-the-ground partner, Shadreck Sibwaalu, is the hands that brings that good news!  For the past ten years, Shadreck has overseen around 10 to 12 well installations per year for needy Zambians, which have had a life-changing impact on over 30,000 Zambian citizens.

Villages in Zambia need clean water, and it is a case of "water, water everywhere, yet not a drop to drink".  Zambia is one of the most water-rich countries in Africa receiving between 25 to 50 inches of rain each year depending on location.  However, water treatment and access to water outside of the largest cities is only available to half of the rural population.

It is estimated that around 30% of Zambians don't have access to safe water, which results in the death of 5,000 children from diarrhea each year.  The installation of a well with $4,000 to $5,000 immediately brings relief to THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE within a small radius - both clean water to drink and water to promote sanitary conditions!  As we've heard from Shadreck before, he has an "endless list for villages that need some water".

Our goal for this year’s ZOOM IN ON ZAMBIA campaign is $31,000. Please consider donating to help Shadreck and the people of Zambia.