LPMC Community, Ganta Suburb, Liberia

The LPMC community is located on the outskirts of Ganta, an urban city in Liberia with a growing population. The community used to rely on a series of hand-dug wells, but the water sources couldn't keep up with the demand. Not to mention, the water in the wells were exposed to surface contamination, leading to a risk of waterborne illness. In an effort to safeguard their health, the residents walked several miles to a protected well, but had to wait in long lines just to collect a single bucket of water.

Unable to miss work in search of water, parents often tasked their children with the time-consuming chore of collecting water for their households. They wandered far and wide throughout the region, searching for quick access to potable water. Many times, they came up empty-handed. Children spent hours walking alone, which was not only exhausting for their bodies, but also exposed the children to unsafe situations far from home. By the time they returned to the community, they were physically and emotionally drained. Sometimes they were too exhausted—or too late—to make it to school. The water crisis was wreaking havoc on all parts of life in the LPMC community.

Cecelia Vamie is a 54-year-old business woman in the LPMC community. She shared her family’s struggle: “Gathering water was such a burden for us. We had to travel long distances to nearby communities in order to fetch water for our homes. We woke up very early to go walk for water before work.”

Cecelia and other parents in the community longed for a solution to their water crisis: one that would save time, preserve their health, and allow their children to further their educations.

When community leaders heard about Living Water International’s work in the region, they quickly reached out, requesting urgent help. The Living Water staff visited the community and found that the residents desperately needed a safe water source. They were also ready to care for a water system, so the staff announced the construction of a new well!

They returned later with a rig and drilled into the earth until reaching a safe water aquifer. After testing the water to ensure it was safe to consume, the staff installed piping, a sanitary seal, and a hand pump. Because of your gift, the residents finally had a new well just outside their homes!

The Living Water staff also helped the LPMC community establish sustainability practices to help ensure a future of safe water access. They guided the community in creating a water committee to oversee the care and maintenance of the well. This committee will collect a voluntary fee for water usage to save for future repairs. Living Water will stay in contact with the committee to monitor the well’s functionality.

The Living Water staff led the LPMC community residents through several sanitation and hygiene lessons so that they can use their new safe water effectively. During these interactive sessions, the community members learned about the importance of improved pit latrines as a defense against feco-oral disease transmission. The staff also explained the importance of proper handwashing and gave the younger residents time to practice. Finally, they emphasized how poor personal hygiene can impact the health of the community at large through an activity that uses glitter to symbolize germs. Residents left the interactive lessons energized and equipped to better their health.

Throughout the water project, the Living Water team also shared the good news of God’s love and his offer of living water to everyone. They used the story of the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4 to underline this invitation. At the completion of

the well, the team held a well dedication service alongside the local church, where 321 residents praised God for his provision through you!

Cecelia is thankful that she and her children will no longer have to spend their precious time in search of water. She reflected on her experience: “This new water will relieve us from early morning walks. We spent so much time collecting contaminated water.”

Thank you for giving water, for life, in Jesus’ name!