June, 2012 – As a result of your donations, Samaritan’s Purse has helped more than 20,000 families in Central and South America by building and installing BioSand Water Filters. While these filters are making an incredible difference in the physical well being of the recipients, many are also gaining the peace and freedom found in following Jesus Christ.
Maria is a bright and lively 72-year-old woman who lives with her daughter and grandchildren in El Salvador. The entire family had spent years living with intestinal parasites, diarrhea and disease. It was difficult for them to get ahead or be healthy because of the lost work hours due to sickness and because of the money they had to spend on medication.
Once they received a BioSand Water Filter from Samaritan’s Purse, their lives improved in a number of ways. The filter made their drinking water—once muddy—come out healthy, looking clear and tasting fresh. The family was also able to take some of the water and freeze it in baggies, selling the ice to other people in their community in El Salvador. Above all, everyone in their family received Jesus in their hearts when the local partner installed the water filter in the home and shared the Gospel message.
Ana Savala’s family is one of many in rural Nicaragua suffering with poor health as a result of drinking contaminated water, but who have had no choice but to drink from wells they know are making them sick.
Much of the drinking water in rural Nicaragua comes from wells tainted by agricultural runoff and animal waste. This contamination is causes kidney and intestinal diseases, resulting in as many as two deaths every month in the area that Ana lives.
But thanks to Canadians like you, Samaritan’s Purse is providing a solution to the water crisis in Nicaragua—and around the world—with BioSand water filters.
Save the life of a child or adult in a developing country by providing safe water along with health and hygiene education that will help protect them from deadly, but preventable, diseases. Simple and effective water filters, community wells and water storage solutions, and sanitation facilities can all drastically improve lives and open doors to share the eternal hope of Jesus Christ.