Drink dirty water and get sick? Or drink no water and die?

At left, even the youngest villagers help fetch water for survival. At right, searching for water in a hand-dug hole after the pond dries up.

Charles stumbled and fell to the hard ground. But this time he wasn't able to get back up. As the oppressive African sun relentlessly beat down on the man, he finally surrendered and helplessly gasped as his final breath escaped his parched mouth.

The elderly man had made this difficult journey before. But this would be his final search for water. He lived thirsty, and he died thirsty.

Charles's remote village of Nawiyapak village (pronounced Na-wee-ah-puck) is located in Toposaland, South Sudan. The villagers are part of the Toposa people, who are largely agrarian and herders. They live in extreme poverty.

During the spring and summer months when there is some rainfall, the villagers—both young and old—collect rainwater that accumulates in a hand-dug pond. But, they use the pond water for everything—drinking, cooking, bathing, irrigating crops, watering animals, and so on. The open pond quickly becomes contaminated, because it's shared by both humans and wild animals scavenging for survival. The water is filthy, but it's all they have.

Needless to say, the villagers have horrendous health problems from drinking the dirty, contaminated water. Everyone in the village suffers from common waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Mothers watch helplessly as their children writhe in pain from intestinal worms. I'll spare you the graphic details. But far too many heartbroken parents are having to bury their young children because of easily-preventable diseases.

Unfortunately, what I just shared with you is a description of the good months.

During the winter months the rain stops and drought sets in. The villagers look on in horror as their dirty water turns into no water.

After their rainwater pond completely dries up, many of Nawiyapak's 1,800 villagers pack up their belongings and make a treacherous 50-mile trek on foot to an area called Kuron where multiple rivers flow. They make camp there for a few months until winter is over and they can return home again to fresh rainfall. But the area where they make camp is a "no man's land." No one wants to live there permanently because rival tribes seek refuge at the rivers when their water sources also dry up. It can quickly turn into a war zone. It's best to leave as soon as you can.

During the winter-long "camping" trip, the children can't attend school. Families are often separated, and community life is completely disrupted. It's an all-hands-on-deck effort to survive.

Some villagers decide not to make the dangerous journey (or simply aren't able to) and stay home. They hand dig holes looking for enough water to survive the dry season. If they're fortunate enough to find water, they must savor every last drop of the dirty liquid until the rainy season arrives.

It was during this difficult 50-mile trek that elderly Charles died of dehydration and heat stroke. It's not uncommon for villagers to succumb to the harsh elements during their quest to find water.

Family, I'd like to ask you to help write the end of this story. There's no way to sugarcoat the unfortunate details. The people of Nawiyapak village (and surrounding villages) are stuck in a vicious death cycle. They're sick and dying and can't find a way out. They lack one of the most basic essentials of life: clean water.

Here is some really good news, though.

The Toposa were previously considered an unreached people group, but Heaven's Family ministry partners have made tremendous progress among them. Villagers are turning from their traditional beliefs and putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Lives are being transformed. Disciples are making disciples. Because of the scarcity of water, they can have baptisms only once a year when there is ample water. Just recently, over 1,000 new believers from Nawiyapak and the surrounding villages were baptized. It's truly an amazing move of God!

Not only will clean water meet their most basic needs, but it'll also help to continue the spread of the gospel in this largely unreached region. This is a crucial opportunity to help the "least of these" while also advancing Jesus' kingdom. My heart couldn't be much happier at that thought!

To successfully deliver clean, consistent water, the villagers need a very deep well with a solar pump system, plus a raised platform and storage tanks. To make this a reality, the grand total comes to $41,000. (This well project is more expensive than our average well project because of how deep we must drill.)

In Nawiyapak, there are 1,800 villagers. The nearby sister village of Nubois (pronounced Nu-boys) has 2,300 people living with the same nightmare of dirty water or no water. This well would directly benefit both villages, totaling 4,100 people.

So, for just $10 per person, you can help make clean water a reality for these two villages.

With your help, this story can have a happy ending. Please invest if you can.

On behalf of the villagers of Nawiyapak and Nubois,

David Servant,
Founder and President, Heaven's Family

P.S. Winter is coming. Right now, the villagers have dirty water, but in a few months they will have no water. Heaven's Family's Safe Water Ministry has the know-how and the experience to give them year-long access to clean water. But we lack funding. Can you help provide the missing piece so clean water can begin flowing before winter?

Drink dirty water and get sick? Or drink no water and die?

Charles stumbled and fell to the hard ground. But this time he wasn't able to get back up. As the oppressive African sun relentlessly beat down on the man, he finally surrendered and helplessly gasped as his final breath escaped his parched mouth.

The elderly man had made this difficult journey before. But this would be his final search for water. He lived thirsty, and he died thirsty.

Charles's remote village of Nawiyapak village (pronounced Na-wee-ah-puck) is located in Toposaland, South Sudan. The villagers are part of the Toposa people, who are largely agrarian and herders. They live in extreme poverty.

During the spring and summer months when there is some rainfall, the villagers—both young and old—collect rainwater that accumulates in a hand-dug pond. But, they use the pond water for everything—drinking, cooking, bathing, irrigating crops, watering animals, and so on. The open pond quickly becomes contaminated, because it's shared by both humans and wild animals scavenging for survival. The water is filthy, but it's all they have.

Needless to say, the villagers have horrendous health problems from drinking the dirty, contaminated water. Everyone in the village suffers from common waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Mothers watch helplessly as their children writhe in pain from intestinal worms. I'll spare you the graphic details. But far too many heartbroken parents are having to bury their young children because of easily-preventable diseases.

Unfortunately, what I just shared with you is a description of the good months.

During the winter months the rain stops and drought sets in. The villagers look on in horror as their dirty water turns into no water.

After their rainwater pond completely dries up, many of Nawiyapak's 1,800 villagers pack up their belongings and make a treacherous 50-mile trek on foot to an area called Kuron where multiple rivers flow. They make camp there for a few months until winter is over and they can return home again to fresh rainfall. But the area where they make camp is a "no man's land." No one wants to live there permanently because rival tribes seek refuge at the rivers when their water sources also dry up. It can quickly turn into a war zone. It's best to leave as soon as you can.

During the winter-long "camping" trip, the children can't attend school. Families are often separated, and community life is completely disrupted. It's an all-hands-on-deck effort to survive.

Some villagers decide not to make the dangerous journey (or simply aren't able to) and stay home. They hand dig holes looking for enough water to survive the dry season. If they're fortunate enough to find water, they must savor every last drop of the dirty liquid until the rainy season arrives.

It was during this difficult 50-mile trek that elderly Charles died of dehydration and heat stroke. It's not uncommon for villagers to succumb to the harsh elements during their quest to find water.

Family, I'd like to ask you to help write the end of this story. There's no way to sugarcoat the unfortunate details. The people of Nawiyapak village (and surrounding villages) are stuck in a vicious death cycle. They're sick and dying and can't find a way out. They lack one of the most basic essentials of life: clean water.

Here is some really good news, though.

The Toposa were previously considered an unreached people group, but Heaven's Family ministry partners have made tremendous progress among them. Villagers are turning from their traditional beliefs and putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Lives are being transformed. Disciples are making disciples. Because of the scarcity of water, they can have baptisms only once a year when there is ample water. Just recently, over 1,000 new believers from Nawiyapak and the surrounding villages were baptized. It's truly an amazing move of God!

Not only will clean water meet their most basic needs, but it'll also help to continue the spread of the gospel in this largely unreached region. This is a crucial opportunity to help the "least of these" while also advancing Jesus' kingdom. My heart couldn't be much happier at that thought!

To successfully deliver clean, consistent water, the villagers need a very deep well with a solar pump system, plus a raised platform and storage tanks. To make this a reality, the grand total comes to $41,000. (This well project is more expensive than our average well project because of how deep we must drill.)

In Nawiyapak, there are 1,800 villagers. The nearby sister village of Nubois (pronounced Nu-boys) has 2,300 people living with the same nightmare of dirty water or no water. This well would directly benefit both villages, totaling 4,100 people.

So, for just $10 per person, you can help make clean water a reality for these two villages.

With your help, this story can have a happy ending. Please invest if you can.

On behalf of the villagers of Nawiyapak and Nubois,

David Servant,
Founder and President, Heaven's Family

P.S. Winter is coming. Right now, the villagers have dirty water, but in a few months they will have no water. Heaven's Family's Safe Water Ministry has the know-how and the experience to give them year-long access to clean water. But we lack funding. Can you help provide the missing piece so clean water can begin flowing before winter?

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