Cross International

"For I was thirsty and you gave me drink..."

Access to clean water is such a basic need that even in communities with widespread hunger, the number one request from church and community leaders is still for help to provide safe drinking water. Access to safe water is literally a matter of life and death, and a crisis that must be addressed immediately.

Every 15 seconds a child in the developing world dies of cholera or some other waterborne disease. Their only mistake: trying to quench that thirst with contaminated water. Too often, they have no choice because they rely on water from tainted sources— polluted rivers or lakes, improperly dug wells or open cisterns teeming with bacteria or other unseen contaminants. In the worst cases, the waterborne bacteria can kill in three to six hours. Even if it isn't fatal, the child may be infected with intestinal parasites.

When a village is not located close to a river or lake, residents use large plastic buckets to collect water from the closest source, sometimes miles away. It's common to see as many as 40 or 50 people clustered around a water source with plastic buckets. Women and children walk for miles with these heavy containers each and every day.

Water taken from a well or river-bank is rarely crystal clear or good tasting, but it's eagerly collected because it is the only option these families have. When a water supply becomes contaminated the villagers may not realize it for days— usually only after children have already died and others are critically ill.

Cross International Catholic Outreach works with Christian ministries located in some of the most parched areas of the world to provide clean, safe, accessible drinking water to poor communities. Different areas call for different solutions. We help dig wells, tap springs, build aqueducts, and filter or sterilize water. Whenever practical, we employ local laborers and materials to support the local economy. And we empower local Christian leaders to oversee ongoing maintenance and operation as a ministry outreach to their communities.

You can help poor people in developing countries who are desperate to quench their thirst without fear of illness or death. Please consider giving a gift of lifesaving water.