On World Water Day, Christian Ministries Tout Sustainability, Local Leadership

Clean water projects help spread Gospel to remote communities

Efforts to extend clean water access to the world’s poor have often left trails of dry and busted wells—a problem many Christian relief and development organizations are fighting to correct.

Those ministries’ water projects enter the spotlight March 22 as NGOs observe World Water Day, an annual day created by the UN to promote responsible management of the world’s freshwater resources.

This church in Sur de Guillen, Mexico, houses the community’s Water Mission project / Photo courtesy of Water Mission

Urgent Need

Advocates cite the World Bank Group’s estimate that over two billion people—mostly in developing countries—lack safe water. Contaminated water sources spread disease and are a major cause of deaths of children under 5.

True solutions, however, have proven difficult. A 2015 UNICEF report noted a high failure rate of water and sanitation (WASH) programs, admitting they “too frequently fail to bring sustainable benefits to the people they seek to serve, with as much as 30-50% of WASH projects failing after two to five years.”

At the same time, a 2022 World Health Organization finding that the number of people with clean water access had risen by more than 2 billion since the turn of the century suggests that change is not only possible but is already underway.

Solutions

This year, Christians looking to give “a cup of cold water” to families who struggle to quench their thirst face a wide array of ministries to consider. Projects range in scope from simple home water filters to large mechanized systems that pipe water to every household in a community. But among competing fundraising pitches, a frequent refrain can be heard: local empowerment and long-term impact.

Water Mission, which currently holds a perfect MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score, emphasizes the key role local leaders and community members play in effecting lasting change, including giving priority to local labor and supplies.

According to Water Mission’s website, “The Community-Managed Plus program empowers communities to take an active role in the design, construction, and ongoing management of safe water systems. Water Mission facilitates community engagement and mobilization, invests in educating and equipping local leaders, and sets up a Safe Water Committee (SWC) to operate and manage the solution.”

That effort doesn’t end with the installation of a water system. Instead, Water Mission says it does regular follow-up as the beneficiaries take the lead in operating and maintaining their new resources.

For Blood:Water, a charity founded by contemporary Christian music band Jars of Clay and activist Jena Lee Nardella, the key is eight-year commitments to local partnerships in Africa. The goal: fighting HIV/AIDS through improved water and sanitation. That mission has, by Blood:Water’s reckoning, brought safe water to nearly 1 million people since 2004. It has also provided hundreds of thousands of people with HIV testing, counseling and prevention services, setting it apart from other water-focused nonprofits.

Water for Good, which works primarily in Africa, boasts a high rate of long-term success in solving water crises.

“Many organizations only focus on implementation, which means wells are often left broken or abandoned later on, and communities are left even more devastated,” the Arkansas-based nonprofit claims. “We refuse to let this happen. We work toward sustainability by ensuring quality ongoing maintenance, even for systems installed prior to our involvement. This is evident in the fact that our water point functionality rate is 90%, compared to the sector average of 60%.”

To that end, Water for Good partners with local churches and trains local individuals “to champion, construct, and advocate for sanitation and hygiene in their own communities.”

Alabama-based Vapor Ministries provides free water from its “Vapor centers,” using industrial-grade pumps, filters, towers, wells from 60 to 1,000 feet deep, and one or more distribution points; then it fundraises for needed repairs as they arise. This contrasts with the strategy of other nonprofits that rely on the communities themselves to charge a small water fee for ongoing maintenance and repairs.

For an altogether different approach, Filter of Hope, which also has a perfect Donor Confidence Score, does no drilling at all. Instead, it distributes water filters built with hollow fiber membranes. According to Filter of Hope, just $50 funds this simple filter, which can deliver up to 250 gallons per day and last as long as 10 years.

GFA World, formerly Gospel for Asia, also works in the clean water space, saying it can build a “Jesus Well” for just $1,600. GFA’s March campaign to fund 125 of these wells coincides with World Water Day. However, such wells lack the features and durability of more advanced designs, and the Texas-based ministry itself reports that its wells have a lifespan of no more than 20 years. Another potential concern is that GFA World currently holds a failing Donor Confidence Score of 3 (out of 100) and a transparency grade of F.

Spiritual Thirst

Alongside physical drink, many Christian nonprofits also seek to deliver water for the soul. This is one reason why partnerships with local churches are often sought—as is the case for Living Water International, another Texas nonprofit focused on water needs.

On its website, Living Water International states, “As followers of Jesus, our concern is for the whole person—physical and spiritual. Through ongoing Christian witness, we know that only Jesus can truly transform people, restore relationships, and heal factors that lead to poverty, hunger, and thirst in our world.”

Water Mission similarly works with local churches to spread the Gospel.

According to Water Mission’s website, “When we build safe water solutions, communities witness Water Mission and their local church working together in the name of the Lord. This opens doors for us to share the gospel. By partnering with the local church, we bring safe and Living Water in the hopes that men, women, and children will experience the spiritual transformation that only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

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