Exciting news! This Giving Tuesday, you can double your impact thanks to generous friends, including Tommy’s Express Car Wash and Benevolence LA, who will match all gifts up to $35,000!

Learn more about this match, along with other ways to support Water Mission through unique offers, by clicking the button below.

DOUBLE MY IMPACT

Giving Tuesday is here. Each year, we look forward to partnering with friends like you who empower families around the world with access to clean, safe water, and the hope of God’s love.  

As this day of generosity approaches, we pray for a world where everyone can access essential safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) resources. It’s a calling God has placed on the hearts of those partnering with safe water charity Water Mission. 

Right now, the need for WASH solutions remains urgent. More than 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water. More than 4.2 billion lack access to adequate sanitation. That means far too many men, women, and children lack treated clean water and safe spaces to use the bathroom. 

It is a daily battle, but there is hope. We invite you to be part of the solution today! 

What Would Giving Tuesday Look Like Without Safe Water? 

The world revolves around water. This vital resource quenches thirst, irrigates crops, generates electricity, and so much more. As you read this, you, your family, and your friends have relied on access to clean, safe water throughout the day. 

In developing countries, millions of women and children walk an average of three miles to collect water. Unfortunately, the water is often contaminated and leads to serious water-related illnesses. It is a devastating reality, but friends like you can help break the cycle. 

By partnering with Water Mission this Giving Tuesday, November 29, you will be: 

• Supporting sustainable access to safe water solutions. 
• Raising awareness about the global water crisis. 
• Saving lives and transforming communities around the world! 

On November 29, 2022, we invite you to celebrate Giving Tuesday by helping us end the global water crisis, share God’s love, and bless our global neighbors with the gift of safe water. 

Remember, when you give on Giving Tuesday, you can double your impact and reach even more people with safe water and the hope of God’s love!

DOUBLE MY IMPACT

Claim Your Giving Tuesday Gift Below

Learn more about this match, along with other ways to support Water Mission through unique offers, by clicking the button below.

Vapor Apparel—Use code WATERMISSION1129 at vaporapparel.com and receive a 10% discount on your purchase. Vapor Apparel will give 25% of proceeds during Giving Tuesday back to Water Mission to help provide safe water around the world. The offer ends Sunday, December 4, 2022.

Benevolence LA—Use code GIFTOFWATER at benevolencela.com for 10% off your purchase. Benevolence LA will give 10% of proceeds back to Water Mission to help provide safe water around the world. The offer expires on December 31, 2022.

The post Give Safe Water this Giving Tuesday appeared first on Water Mission.

How Reliable Access to Safe Water is Transforming Livelihoods in Chikola 

Time is precious. With enough of it, people have the opportunity to achieve their dreams.  

For Helena, a 16-year-old in Chikola, Tanzania, time was rarely on her side. Like many women and children around the world, Helena was responsible for walking long distances to fetch water for her family. 

Every morning, she would spend two to three hours traveling from her home, standing in line, filling her jerry cans, and trekking back. This is time that could be spent receiving an education or chasing her dream of having a farm of her own.   

“Girls in my community face challenges because they have to go fetch water before they go to school. So, most times, they are either late or unable to make it to school,” she says. “The water is very scarce. Sometimes girls are able to get to the well, but there is a long queue, and they are unable to get water in time [to get to school].” 

Collecting water so far away puts young women like Helena in dangerous situations. It also takes away valuable time from school and other activities. 

Like young women everywhere, Helena dreams of a prosperous future and knows that both time and access to safe water play an important role in her success. She says she loves her community and wants to stay there and have a farm of her own. 

“With farming, you have to go fetch water before you can work on the farm,” Helena says. “With water close by, you can just get the water and start working.” 

No matter an individual’s dream or aspiration, the gift of time and access to safe water play an integral role in a person’s future. 

Thanks to the monthly support from our Thirst Quenchers, more than 7 million people around the world have access to safe, clean water.  

GIVE TODAY

The post With Time on Her Side, Helena’s Dreams Can Become a Reality  appeared first on Water Mission.

Did you know that there are many unique ways to bless your global neighbors for generations to come? A planned gift can save lives today and leave a legacy of hope through safe and Living Water. It can also provide a significant opportunity to avoid capital gains tax or lower your taxable income. 

When planning your legacy, make an impact by:  

• Remembering Water Mission in your will or trust. 
• Designating Water Mission as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy or retirement plan. 
• Transferring appreciated stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. 
• Gifting real estate, stocks, mutual funds, or commodities through a donor advised fund.  

Consider deepening your partnership with Water Mission. Learn more at watermission.org/planned-giving or contact Dawn Ward at legacy@watermission.org.  

Have you already planned a gift through your will, trust, retirement plan, or insurance policy for the future of Water Mission? If so, please let us know so we can thank you! 

The post Leaving a Legacy appeared first on Water Mission.

God calls each of us to use our talent and treasure to serve others. Whether this means giving to certain causes, volunteering in our communities, or working at our jobs, these callings are unique and don’t necessarily fit a specific mold. 

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

—1 Peter 4:10-11

For former college baseball player Kyle Hanlon, his passion is to help end the global water crisis that impacts 2.2 billion people. 

Hanlon partners with Water Mission to help provide safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions for people in developing countries, refugee camps, and disaster areas. In 2019, he joined professional baseball players Jason Standridge and Blaine Boyer to travel to Uganda with Water Mission. Former MLB player and current Water Mission staff member, Scott Linebrink, led the vision trip. The group visited the Bidibidi refugee settlement, where Hanlon witnessed the global water crisis in person for the first time.  

“Hearing the various stories that were shared with us [during the visit to Bidibidi], from villages being raided to young children and women being slaughtered—the things that these people are going through are absolutely unimaginable,” Hanlon shared. 

While the settlement now has reliable access to safe water, the stories he heard impacted him deeply.  

Many of the residents in Bidibidi sought refuge from South Sudan, a war-torn country that is still enduring turmoil and strife.  

“Before coming [to Bidibidi], I lost my child and my husband,” said Mary Yangi, a South Sudanese refugee living in Bidibidi. “After my husband died, I asked myself, ‘From here, what do I do?’ I had to be strong in my faith so I could manage.” 

So much of what refugees witness in their lifetime is laced with tragedy and sorrow. Through trauma healing seminars, Water Mission walks alongside those who are suffering to share God’s abundant love, grace, and healing power.  

“Being in the refugee settlement has been eye-opening—the dire need for necessities like water and shelter and how life-changing it is,” Hanlon said. “When we see these people with true joy for the access to clean and safe drinking water for the first time in their lives.” 

Hanlon first got involved with Water Mission through his family members, who are long-time friends of the safe water charity. The trip to Uganda in 2019 was “transformational” for him—moved by the faith of the individuals he met in Bidibidi. He later shared with us that days before being invited on the trip, he prayed that God would give him an opportunity to expand his faith. This trip was that opportunity. 

Today, Hanlon is heavily invested in the sanitation portion of our work, as nearly 4.2 billion lack access to a safe place to use the restroom. His prayerful support is making a difference.  

No matter where you may find yourself in this season of life, consider using your time, talent, and treasure to serve others with safe water and sanitation solutions. 

Learn more about how you can get involved at Water Mission at watermission.org/get-involved. 

GET INVOLVED

The post Using Your Time, Talent, and Treasure to Serve Others  appeared first on Water Mission.

Sonia used to wake up in the early morning hours and walk a mile to reach the closest water source. Her family lives in Oenoni, an isolated community in Indonesia. Though her island is surrounded by seawater, it was a daily struggle to obtain fresh drinking water.  

After filling her jugs with water, Sonia carried them back home. This daily trek was a burden for Sonia, as it is for millions of women around the world. Women around the world spend 200 million hours each day collecting water—hours that could be used to care for their families or earn an income. 

Although the water she worked so hard to collect looked clear, it was often contaminated and made her family sick. Waterborne illnesses are deadliest to children under five years old and put Sonia’s baby at risk. Constantly being sick also made it difficult for Sonia to attend to the work that comes with being a new mother. 

Thanks to partners like you, Sonia now has a water source just steps from her front door. Our teams installed a safe water solution in Oenoni that provides reliable access to water for the 1,200 residents. The system pipes water to 300 households, a school, and a medical clinic. Families are healthier, and women like Sonia have more time in their day to tend to their children and their households.  

“Before, it took a lot of struggle to [fetch water],” Sonia said. “Our lives changed after Water Mission came because the water that was so far away is now in front of our house.”  

Having nearby access to safe water has given Sonia more time to care for her baby, who thankfully no longer suffers from water-related illnesses.  

“We are very grateful to God, to Water Mission, and to those who helped bring water closer to our homes,” she said. “This is the love of God that we feel.”  

By coming alongside Water Mission, you can help change even more lives in Southeast Asia and around the world through safe and Living Water.  

Please pray for all the mothers who still long for safe water for their children. As you pray for our work around the world, please also consider how you can deepen your partnership with Water Mission and reach more people like Sonia. 

GIVE TODAY

The post Safe Water Transforms Life in Oenoni, Indonesia   appeared first on Water Mission.

On Saturday, March 26, more than 3,750 people participated in the 16th Annual Walk for Water at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, SC. Together, they raised more than $450,000 (and counting).  

Every day, millions of women and children walk more than three miles to collect water that is often contaminated and makes their families sick. The three-mile Walk for Water route represented the average distance people walk each day to collect water that can lead to water-related illnesses. Walkers carried empty buckets until the halfway point, filled them with water, and carried the full buckets the final 1.5 miles. 

Scroll on to see some highlights of this special event to raise awareness and fight the global water crisis. Thank you to those who dedicated their Saturday to helping bring clean, safe water to our global neighbors. We hope you’re already making plans to join us for the 2023 Walk for Water next year on Saturday, March 25, 2023. You can also visit walkforwater.com to find a Walk for Water near you or host one in your own community!  

GET INVOLVED

Even if you couldn’t join us at the Walk, there are many ways to go the extra mile with Water Mission. Consider coming alongside us, transforming lives by building health and hope. Visit watermission.org/get-involved to learn more.  

GET INVOLVED

The post 2022 Walk for Water at Riverfront Park  appeared first on Water Mission.

Last year, Water Mission launched a new, independent nonprofit, the Global Water Center. The Global Water Center’s purpose is to end the global water crisis by convening, training, and resourcing organizations and governments around global strategies and standards for safe water projects. 

In its first year, the Global Water Center deployed the Mobile Discovery Center to raise awareness and create advocates in cities around the United States through immersive, interactive activities. The traveling exhibit made 10 stops across the country, opening its doors to visitors in eight states within its first six months. 

The Global Water Center also launched a virtual learning platform this year to share best practices on a global scale with other safe water implementors.  

Finally, the Global Water Center began moving forward with developing a remote monitoring platform to serve the entire safe water, sanitation, and hygiene sector. Once completed, this platform will support accountability by allowing real-time remote access to safe water production.

Many partners enabled these successes, including Kohler, OxyChem, The Rockstad Foundation, and Seacoast Church. Water Mission was honored to support our collective mission by collaborating on events, marketing, and visuals. This year, we transferred all remaining restricted contributions for the Global Water Center to manage independently. This important step is noted in our 2021 Financials.

To learn more about the Global Water Center, please visit globalwatercenter.org. 

Give today

The post Global Water Center Update appeared first on Water Mission.

April 6 is the United Nations (UN) International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This UN holiday honors sports’ positive influence.  

Former Major League Baseball pitcher, Jaime García, takes his role seriously as a spokesperson for sports, faith, and safe water. García grew up in Mexico near the border of Texas. He made his career debut in a 2008 Cardinals game and spent the next decade pitching for different teams, including the Atlanta Braves, before retiring in 2019. 

During a Professional Athlete Outreach conference, former MLB player and current Water Mission Partnerships Director, Scott Linebrink, discussed the global water crisis. García heard Linebrink share about Water Mission’s efforts to build safe water solutions in developing countries, refugee camps, and disaster areas. Linebrink also shared that when communities witness Water Mission working to provide safe water for them in the name of the Lord, it opens doors to share the gospel.   

García is now a dedicated Water Mission partner, and his generosity has helped bring safe water and the Living Water message of Jesus Christ to communities throughout Chiapas, Mexico. In late 2021, García visited Water Mission’s Mexico office. While there, he spread a message of hope to young baseball players, local church members, and a community that had received safe water. 

When García talked to residents of communities in need of safe water in Mexico, he offered inspiration as someone with a similar story to them. It’s important for children to recognize themselves in the professional athletes they follow, teachers they learn from, and books they read. García knows that when he shares about faith, inner healing, and becoming more like Christ, his words carry weight. That’s why he recently spoke at these three events in Chiapas on behalf of Water Mission. 

First, García attended a youth baseball tournament. Players, families, and local dignitaries listened eagerly as García shared about his life’s purpose and working hard to achieve it. 

He asked the children, “What dreams do you have for your life? Do any of you want to be professional baseball players?” 

García urged members of the crowd to build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ instead of simply following a religion. Afterward, he took time to shake hands and take photos with the players. The organizers even asked García to throw the first pitch of the tournament. The young athletes were inspired to meet an athlete from their own country who led a successful career and has a strong Christian faith. 

The following Sunday, a church service was held at Water Mission’s office in Mexico. García then spoke about how faith makes way for inner healing, with several references to his own life’s testimony. 

Finally, García joined Water Mission staff traveling to Sitalá, where Water Mission is installing a new safe water system. The team drove two and half hours through the mountains to reach this remote town in one of the poorest municipalities in Chiapas, a coffee-growing region. For a long time, the men, women, and children who live in Sitalá have been some of the 2.2 billion people around the world who lack access to safe water. When this project is finished, safe water will flow freely for all 10,000 residents, helping them avoid water-related illnesses and stay healthy. 

García had lunch with the municipal mayor before Water Mission hosted a basketball tournament as an outreach event for the community. Teams of extended family members and public works employees gathered to play, chatting with García and taking photos after. Water Mission staff shared about the safe water project, and García testified once more about faith in Christ. 

García’s support of Water Mission has built a legacy in Chiapas that will last for years. His heart for service is changing lives through safe water while also having a Kingdom impact by spreading the gospel message. 

Consider how you might also use your voice and influence to serve men, women, and children around the world. Visit watermission.org/get-involved for ideas. 

GET INVOLVED 

The post Jaime García Helps Share Safe Water and God’s Love in Mexico  appeared first on Water Mission.

Today, you’ll likely use water countless times—to drink, cook, shower, brush your teeth, and more—without worrying whether the water is safe. 

But more than 2.2 billion people around the world lack access to clean, safe water. Every day, millions of women and children walk more than three miles to collect water that is often contaminated and makes their families sick. 

The 16th Annual Walk for Water is March 26, 2022, at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, SC. We invite you to join us to raise awareness and funds to fight the global water crisis. You can help bring Water Mission’s safe water solutions to your global neighbors. It is a unique opportunity to serve others in developing countries, refugee camps, and disaster areas. 

Walk at Riverfront Park 

This year’s Walk for Water at Riverfront Park will begin at 9 a.m. Each walker will grab an empty bucket and walk approximately 1.5 miles. Halfway through the Walk route, they will fill the buckets with water—simulating the trek that millions of women and children make each day to collect water —and complete the next 1.5 miles. 

Along the route, walkers will learn about the global water crisis, experience stories from those we serve, and have the opportunity to tour Water Mission’s global headquarters. Back at the park, they will empty their buckets into a Living Water Treatment System—a system that will be commissioned and sent to a community for use! To celebrate and thank our walkers of all ages, there will be plenty of fun and games at Riverfront Park. 

We invite you to visit charlestonwalk.org to join a team, start your own team, or simply register yourself to Walk. All walkers will receive a Walk for Water t-shirt and resources to help raise awareness and funds about the global water crisis. 

Please register in advance at charlestonwalk.org. Then, follow the official 2022 Water Mission Walk for Water event on our Water Mission Facebook page. Here you will find updates and encouraging information that can be shared to promote why we walk and encourage others to join you! 

If you have questions, please email walk@watermission.org. 

Sign up now

The post Water Mission’s Annual Walk for Water: We Walk, So Others Don’t Have To  appeared first on Water Mission.

Water Mission was honored to serve more than 1.4 million men, women, and children in 2021. 

Because of partners like you who have come alongside us, more than 1 million people have access to safe water. In addition, 30,000 people received sanitation solutions, such as latrines at home, in their medical facilities, or at school. More than 90,000 people are benefitting from the health and protection that comes from hygiene solutions like handwashing stations and community training. With your help, we’ve also served more than 265,000 survivors of 10 disasters around the world. Throughout all our work as a safe water charity, we were committed to showing God’s love to those in need. 

Every individual who gains access to safe water represents a victory in the fight against the global water crisis. They also are examples of God’s faithfulness and love, as you can see in the people and communities highlighted below. 

Improving Health Conditions for Patients, Healthcare Workers, and Communities 

Providing safe water to healthcare clinics is an ongoing priority for Water Mission. Mothers and their newborn babies in Chiwe, Malawi, were among those who benefited from a Water Mission safe water solution in their local healthcare center. It enabled expectant moms to deliver their babies close to home instead of traveling miles away while in labor. Read more here. 

Supporting Children and Their Families 

Of course, children need access to safe water well beyond infancy. For many years in Kavingoni Yeemulwa, Kenya, school-aged children missed classes and couldn’t keep up with their education due to the time spent collecting water. Unfortunately, this water was contaminated water and often made the kids too sick to attend school. Then Water Mission installed a safe water solution with seven water access points, including at the local school. The project serves 2,700 people and helps to keep children and their families healthy. Read more here.   

Safeguarding Community Members 

In Mexico, the families of Francisco Madero faced similar problems to those in Kavingoni Yeemulwa. One couple, Hipolito and Martha Avila, saw firsthand the negative impact of using contaminated water. This was especially true for the most vulnerable community members, the elderly and children—including Hipolito and Martha’s children. The sustainable safe water solution Water Mission and our partner Iglesia Solo Cristo Salva y Sana (Only Christ Heals and Saves Church) installed has given new life to this community, serving more than 1,500 people. Read more here. 

Strengthening Safe Water Systems After Natural Disaster 

On top of the everyday challenges of accessing clean, safe water, communities throughout the Bahamas experienced massive flooding and destruction after 2019’s Hurricane Dorian. At the time, Water Mission installed four reverse osmosis (RO) systems, designed by Parker Hannifin, to meet the dire need for safe water. In 2021, we installed a fifth RO system at Rand Memorial Hospital, the country’s second-largest public health facility, meeting the dire need for healthcare workers to access safe water. These RO systems, installed above flood level and able to purify salty water, ensure that clean, safe water is available even in the event of another natural disaster. Read more here. 

Disaster Response Following Artic Storms in Texas 

When winter storms swept across Texas in February, record-shattering cold temperatures caused pipes to freeze, leaving half the population without access to safe water. Water Mission sent skilled volunteer plumbers and provided emergency plumbing supplies to restore safe water access in the homes of vulnerable homeowners like Anna Margaret, a single mother. Read more here.  

Recovering and Healing 

Recovering in the aftermath of a traumatic event is about physical survival—and also about emotional and spiritual healing. Refugees, especially those escaping war-torn areas, need this healing. To assist the many people pouring into a large refugee settlement in Uganda, Water Mission partnered with local pastors and church leaders. These faith leaders were trained as biblical trauma healing facilitators who can effectively counsel and encourage those in their communities, helping refugees and other community members hope again. Read more here. 

Hope for the Future 

Where would we be without the hope of Christ to guide us? The hope of the Living Water, Jesus Christ, guided our work in 2021. Please join us in praying for the 2.2 billion people still awaiting safe water. There is more to be done, and we look to God’s providence to guide us in this continuing journey. 

 Pray with Us 

The post 2021 Snapshot: Serving 1.4 Million People with Safe Water and More  appeared first on Water Mission.