Danh works hard to provide for his wife and children. He is often away from their remote village for three months at a time, working on construction sites in larger cities for minimal payment.
He and his family rely on rains and a small borehole pump for their water. They use this water for everything—drinking, cooking, and bathing. During the rainy season, Danh collects and stores the rainwater in pots that are dirty and insufficient to hold the large amount of water needed.
Thousands of families like Danh’s are at a greater risk of enduring a water shortage during droughts, because they are not connected to a municipal water pipeline.
“In previous years, the rainwater we stored would run out in the dry season, and at times, the pump couldn’t pump enough water for us,” Danh said.
In response to frequent droughts in the Mekong Delta area, Samaritan’s Purse distributed water tanks, hygiene kits, and jerry cans to families in Dahn’s community. The large-capacity water tanks allow households to store water during the dry season.
“Thank you for giving us this water tank. We could never afford one ourselves,” Dahn said.
After the distribution, Samaritan’s Purse followed up with Danh and learned that he had installed a rainwater catchment system to feed into the new storage tank. His system includes a metal collection trough and a net to filter out debris.
“I saved enough rainwater for the whole year. This past dry season, our family had enough water to use,” he said.
Danh’s wife also attended a Samaritan’s Purse training on proper water storage and how to prevent waterborne diseases. She applies what she learned in order to keep the tank clean and safe.
Increasing household water capacity is only the first among a variety of projects planned for the Mekong Delta region. Our teams are constructing a pipeline to connect households with a government-installed water treatment plant that will help ensure the water in their tanks remains clean.
Please pray for our teams in Vietnam as they serve families like Danh’s who are struggling in remote, impoverished villages. Pray that these families will know God’s love for them.
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.