Dwan Town, Liberia

The 33 families of Dwan Town struggled each day while living with a water crisis. They only had access to a local surface water source for their everyday water needs, such as cleaning, bathing, laundering, washing, and even drinking. Sadly, consuming and using this contaminated water often left them ill with water-related illnesses, such as typhoid and malaria. These illnesses often cause fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, which quickly dehydrates the person suffering. The only remedy was water, but giving dirty water to the sick often took the situation from bad to worse, but there were no other options. Water-related illnesses contributed to lowered community productivity as adults struggled to work amid the regular illnesses. The local leaders understood their community’s need for a safe water source, so they met with the Living Water International field team in Liberia to request a safe water source. The team traveled to Dwan Town to survey the community’s water needs and found their need to be great. Through the funding provided by Ingomar Living Waters, the field team was able to let the residents know that they would return and drill for water.

When the field team returned to the community, they brought their drill rig and got to work creating a borehole that measured 28 meters deep. They added the casing, poured the concrete, assembled the Afridev hand pump, and built a fence around the well. Throughout the project, the community members helped when they could, and then worked together to assemble a five-person water committee that will oversee the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the new water point.

The 33 families, health clinic, and community center will all be greatly blessed by the new water point. In addition to providing safe water, the team worked hard to teach the residents about safe hygiene and sanitation. This information provided the residents an opportunity to escape their burdens of hygiene-related disease by understanding the “why” behind each habit and by eliminating unsafe habits and replacing them with safe habits. The time spent teaching the residents about safe hygiene and sanitation also opened the door to share the gospel. The Living Water team read Scriptures and shared Bible stories to spread the hope of Christ in Dwan Town. The community members listened well, and they learned more about the God who not only created them, but also loves them individually. Thank you, Ingomar Living Waters, for giving so generously to provide safe water and an open door to the gospel of Jesus Christ in Liberia. Thank you!