Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
In the dusty highlands of Llinquipata, Peru, where nearly 50% of households lack access to safely managed water supplies, the daily search for water once involved a strenuous one-hour roundtrip on uneven terrain to collect contaminated water from the river or shallow, hand-dug wells. The absence of proper sanitation forced residents to rely on makeshift latrines located more than a half mile from their homes.
For many, including 70-year-old Paulino, the lack of clean water and proper sanitation compounded their daily struggles, making a source of safe, clean water a seemingly distant dream. Paulino’s wife passed away years ago, and his children have grown and moved away. He continues to work hard to provide for himself, including collecting water, a task that has become increasingly difficult with age.
“We cannot live without water,” Paulino said. “And as I grow older, the fatigue sets in more, making the journey to the river or searching for water in the old hand-dug wells exhausting. It is hard to live in such conditions. We struggle a lot.”
Operation Blessing’s clean water initiatives throughout Peru have brought lifechanging access to clean water and hygiene stations to the community. The ministry has successfully drilled a well and equipped it with a solar-powered water pump and a 2,500-gallon elevated storage tank. The water then is cleaned and filtered before flowing directly to each household. Each family has also received a hygiene station, which includes a biodigester toilet, shower and sink for handwashing. The community development programs have also provided vital education on proper handwashing and hygiene practices.
The provision of access to clean water and sanitation is a gift that Llinquipata will never forget.
“I am thrilled,” Paulino said. “I never thought something like this would happen here. Before, getting water was painful, but now we no longer need to walk to the river or hand-dug wells for water. Clean water in Peru now comes to our houses. Thank you very much, friends.”
Operation Blessing provides humanitarian services such as strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development. Founded in 1978, the ministry has touched the lives of millions of people in more than 90 countries and every state. For more information, visit www.ob.org.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
