Eva's Well

26 Nov

Eva’s Well

Carrying water, bucket by bucket, from 3.5 miles away. Even children, including those like Eva (inset) do their part!

Dear Friends,

Ngongongare, a very poor village in Tanzania, needs water. And 10-year-old Eva Henderson of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, aims to do something about it!

Their closest water source is polluted with chemicals, so they must walk 7 miles roundtrip to another source—a stream, used by both people and animals, that is also unsafe—that frequently causes diarrhea, parasites, cholera, typhoid…and death. Although the villagers must work hard in the fields just to survive, they commonly miss work due to illness. Children miss school because, when not sick, they and their moms must spend hours fetching water each day for drinking and cooking. “Water is their greatest need,” our contact there told me.

That’s where Eva comes in. Her mother Amber, a friend of Heaven’s Family, sent me an email asking if there were any Safe Water Fund projects that needed funding. She had a determined daughter, she said, who wanted to help others obtain safe water for their families. I replied yes, telling her about the well desperately needed in Ngongongare.

Eva didn’t waste any time, quickly organizing fundraisers and contacting businesses and churches in her area. A local newspaper heard about Eva’s efforts, and interviewed her for a story. She was quoted as saying, “I felt that God was calling me to do this. There’s lots of Scripture verses on this type of work like ‘Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’ So I’m willing to do it.”

Wow! Eva’s determination really encourages me, and as someone who cares about providing safe water to our brothers and sisters in Christ, I think her faith-motivated efforts will encourage you as well.

To date, the 10-year-old has raised over $1,810! But the cost to drill this well in Tanzania, due to its depth and location, costs $10,000. If you’d like to link arms with Eva in providing clean water for the families of Ngongongare, Tanzania, please click on the blue donate button below. Maybe your own children would like to join with Eva!