Michigan Church Brings Clean Water to 9,850 Children, Families in Sierra Leone
Nearly 10,000 more people in Sierra Leone can access clean water because Daybreak Church in Hudsonville, Michigan, partnered with World Hope International.
The church funded the drilling of 22 deep borehole wells. Now, people in those communities can depend on a safe, consistent water supply for years to come. We know this because we have the data. An internal audit found that 91% of the wells World Hope dug in Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Liberia starting in 2005 were still functioning and producing biologically clean water eight years later. In other words, World Hope’s borehole wells are a sustainable solution.
Beyond enabling long-term solutions, Daybreak Church partnered with World Hope International for three big reasons. Its members understand how 1) access to clean water affects lifelong outcomes; 2) they could make miracles happen across 22 communities; and 3) their Christian faith compelled them to help people in need.
In Sierra Leone, a country of 8.6 million people on the West African coast, the positive effects of drilling 22 sustainable water wells remain undeniable. Without access to clean water:
- Health and wellness. A child under 5 dies every 60 seconds from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe drinking water.
- Protection. While walking long distances to water or sanitation facilities, women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence.
- Education. Many children spend hours every day fetching water — time they could spend in school if clean water were closer.
- Economic empowerment. Most of the clean water burden falls on women, leaving no time to work paid jobs.
Daybreak gave the gift of clean water to the following numbers of people in these 22 Sierra Leone communities.
- Mabenge: 160
- Makenkita: 300
- Big Kabuma #2: 300
- Kabombeh: 500
- KaKamathor: 400
- Gbendembu 4: 500
- Machapa: 300
- Mathadi: 400
- Makawo: 800
- Makontagay: 200
- Makeniwulo: 300
- Makangila: 340
- Makendi: 300
- Masiba: 300
- Ngaihen: 300
- Massama 2: 500
- Ngowahun: 400
- Maforyen: 600
- Kagbo: 550
- CRS Grafton: 700
- Murraydeen School: 800
- Cow Yard Congress Community: 1,400
Since World Hope International started drilling water wells in Mozambique in 2004, WHI has constructed over 1,430 wells for more than 1 million people in Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Ghana and Zambia.
To learn how your faith-based, corporate or other organization can partner with World Hope and change lives like Daybreak Church has in Sierra Leone, please visit our partnership page.
Kristen Wright
Special Guest Contributor
Kristen Wright is a journalist with more than 20 years’ experience covering global issues. She is chief strategist and editor at Kristen Wright Strategic Communications. Reach her at kristen@kwstrategic.com and wrightkristenm on LinkedIn.