Shalom: A Hebrew word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, and tranquility.
At Water4, we believe God’s vision for the world is a state of “Shalom.” He did not intend for His children to suffer, but prosper, with this truth applying to all men, women, and children. Because of this, we work to ensure all people have access to safe and Living water.
Through the work of Water4, we are able to provide clean water for drinking and household use, and the dignities that accompany God’s vision of Shalom – such as good health and the precious resource of time for employment, education, leisure, time with family, and the many social and economic impacts these things have on a community.
An exciting way we see this mission come to life is through the construction of water projects at schools in Sub-Saharan Africa! School projects, built directly on campus, ensure students and teachers have access to safe water for drinking and hand washing. The completion of these safe water projects is typically an incredibly joyful moment, which you can see for yourself:
The school pictured below, Harieelin Academy, is located in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. Their water point provides regular service to 350 people, including the students you see celebrating its completion.
The students also received hand washing stations and water access, sanitation & hygiene (WaSH) training. Both have been critical needs at schools since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A training was held in June after the water point and hand washing stations were installed to educate teachers and students on how to get the most benefit from the new safe water. The students were very engaged and excited during the training, and were able to practice washing their hands with a WaSH trainer.
When a new water point is installed, there is often a learning curve for people in the communities. That is where the WaSH training becomes helpful. Water4 WaSH trainers come in and demonstrate practices like how to use a hand washing station, keep water clean, cook with clean water, and more. When a WaSH training accompanies a safe water point it is utilized as much as 65% more than when training is not involved. The more safe water points are used, the less disease affects a community resulting in more prosperity: less disease, more time, and more opportunity.
We seek to meet the needs of the communities in which our partners work, both physically and spiritually. And thanks to the generous support of Water4 donors, by giving communities a combination of safe water, WaSH training, and Discovery Bible Study opportunities, we are able to do just that. With these needs met, we move closer and closer to a sustainable state of Shalom.
