Currently, there is an alarming water crisis unfolding in certain states of India where we have staff on the ground and key partnerships in communities where the situation is most critical (read more here: Water Crisis in India). ServeNow was able to take immediate action, and below are stories and pictures of the first two water distributions.
Hyderabad, India
Samson is one of our partners with ServeNow’s Scripture program; he takes care of a church close to our office. ServeNow has partnered with Samson for other humanitarian aid programs before, but this time we received an urgent request from him to provide clean drinking water to a community of rag-pickers, beggars and laborers who live in temporary structures without even a roof over their heads. This slum has been part of Samson’s ministry since he started working for the Lord in 1998. What started as a Christian outreach to a community of non-believers has now become a fellowship of more than 20 families who attend church every Sunday. It is here that ServeNow just conducted the first water distribution program for this year. Here are some people who were greatly benefited from the program:
Suwarnamma is in her mid-fifties. She is a single mother of two sons and a daughter who are working as daily wage laborers. She was the first believer in this area when Samson first started his ministry in 1998. She says; This year, the water scarcity has made life tough for poor people like us, who cannot afford to buy water. ServeNow’s water program is a great relief for me, my family and the entire community. Thank you, ServeNow. No one has anyone provided drinking water to us in the past 20 years!
Akrithi is 5 months pregnant. She lives in one of the labor settlements in the city of Hyderabad; she and her family do not even have a roof over their heads. They live in a small tent made of tarpaulin. Her happiness when she received clean drinking water was immense. She said; The water provided by ServeNow has been a such a help not only to me and my family, but also to my unborn child! Thank you for such a thoughtful gift.
Bikshapati is from the slums. He works as a garbage collector, and he takes care of his family of four with the little money he earns. His family was one of the families that received clean drinking water through ServeNow’s water distribution program. He said; I cannot afford to buy clean water, and as a result, my children were forced to drink the insanitary groundwater. This is the first time that someone has been thoughtful of our needs and provided clean drinking water. I feel wonderful today! This summer I do not have to worry too much about waterborne diseases. Bikshapati couldn’t stop smiling.
Odisha, India
In a village of more than 300 families, where most are daily wage laborers, there are three bore-wells. Yet, since the water levels have dropped dramatically, they have not been able to draw water from those wells. Instead, they dig holes on the dried-up river bed to get some water, even though this water is far from clean. The mercury is rising day by day; today it was 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) and even 116 degrees (47 degrees Celsius) in Western Odisha!
We have had to bring a water tanker from a town 15 miles away to reach this village and serve this community. The villagers were very happy and grateful to ServeNow for providing them with clean drinking water. They are pleading with us to provide water at least twice a week. About 100 families benefited from this program today. Urgent pleas have also reached us from two other nearby villages, who are in desperate need of clean drinking water.
Please help us reach more people, villages, communities and slum areas in great need, like the ones above! Give a generous gift today for others in need of water: Water for Life. Together, let us ServeNow…and procrastinate later!
