Safe Water and God's Eternal Love in Tanzania

I had the honor of traveling with Water Mission to Tanzania this September to witness firsthand the transformative power that safe water can provide, both physically and spiritually. It was remarkable to see how funds raised right here in Charleston, particularly at our annual Walk for Water event, provide such a remarkable improvement in people’s lives! Water Mission has worked since 2013 in some of the driest and poorest regions of Tanzania, where 40 percent of the population lack access to safe drinking water and 74 percent lack basic sanitation.  

On the first day of this Vision Trip, our team toured the office at Dodoma to meet and enjoy fellowship with country partner staff. The next day we traveled over three hours by jeep to a rural community via bumpy dirt roads. Here we learned the harsh reality of life without safe water access. We toured their current water source, a pond containing deep brown water in which a dog was splashing. Women and children gather here daily, often walking several miles to collect the water their family will need for the day for everything from washing to drinking to animal care. We met the dedicated nurse of the health clinic that serves 5,000 villagers—with no running water or functional latrine. This eager community is working hand in hand with the Dodoma staff to get their Water Mission water system up and running. They have been quite literally hard at work, digging 20 kilometers of trenches for future pipeline into dry, impacted earth. 

When I think back to this day, I recall the heat and thirst I experienced as we toured the village and chatted via Swahili interpreters with the local people. I knew a water bottle containing clear, clean water was in my backpack. Yet because I didn’t have enough to share, I couldn’t take even a sip. Not until we had said our goodbyes and driven away back towards Dodoma could I reach for the water that we all take for granted. I drank and drank, knowing that this water wouldn’t make me sick. This simple act of safe refreshment is not an option for too many people of God’s people in our broken world today.

Next we visited another last-mile rural community, where a Water Mission system is newly operational. We heard testimonies from community leaders, teachers, and a physician about the impact of the filtration systems in the village. Attendance at the local school has gone up as children no longer have to leave class early to collect water for their families. Girls are able to stay in school, because with clean water and functional latrines readily available on site, menstruation is no longer a barrier to their education. We were particularly impacted by the testimony of a physician at the local health center. When asked about how life had changed since the water system was installed, he spoke about how grateful he is to be able to wash patients’ bed sheets and mop the floors. It’s hard even to imagine. We played a rowdy soccer game with the local school children under the bright Tanzania sun. Afterwards, we all raced to the Water Mission-installed fountains to refresh ourselves with flowing, safe water. 

This village showed appreciation to Water Mission with original creations of song and dance—as well as the gift of two bleating goats!

I am deeply grateful for the prayers that the St. Philip's community showered over me for this very special engagement with our valued home mission. Please continue to pray for the rural Tanzania village I visited on that first outing. With God’s help, their new water system will be operational in just two months! Please also mark your calendar for Water Mission’s 20th annual Walk for Water on March 21 at Riverfront Park. This event raises vital funds and spreads awareness of the global water crisis.  

Let us remember in prayer that the gift of safe water doesn’t just improve physical health; it helps communities to experience God’s eternal love.