The below update was sent to our church sharing how the money we donated to Water Missions International is being used. Let’s rejoice that Cornerstone is making a difference around the world!
Hello Water Sunday Partners!
I am excited to share with you today the latest Water Sunday update!! I know so many of you worked so hard and are eager to know where all the funds are going. It’s also important to tie back in with the congregation to let them know the progress of their funds. As I wrote in a previous update. Two communities that received support from Water Sunday are Matanda Orphanage in Malawi as well as Kimmi Island in Uganda. In the last update – I had mentioned Najjembe, but due to establishing community ownership – we’ve chosen to pursue Kimmi Island first. See below paragraphs for photos and some information about each of these communities.
Something that we really invest in on the front end of a project is establishing community buy-in/ownership. This includes several meetings with the community and community leaders to establish a safe water committee. If this phase of a project is rushed through, we’ve found that you end up with a project that isn’t sustainable for the long-term. That being said, in the last update I said we were looking at choosing two communities in Honduras to support. This process took longer than anticipated, but I’m excited to share that we have two excellent communities ready to move forward – El Ocote, and Llamapa. Again, see below information and pictures from these communities.
Matanda Orphanage, Malawi – -13.8880194, 33.7323056 (pull up on google maps)
Matanda Orphanage is a community of about 1,000 people. We had started work on the project using Rotary funds and were able to complete it thanks to your help! You can see the photos here. The first couple are from the assessment, then you can see the kids/community getting water.
Kimmi Island, Uganda – 0° 5’11.16″S, 32°38’56.18″E (pull this up on google maps, this community and the surrounding area is really neat!)
Kimmi is an island located in Lake Victoria, it is can be found in Koome Sub-county in Mukono district and has a total population of over 3,000 people. The island is concentrated mostly with fishermen. The homes as you can see in the pictures are made out of wood and rather flimsy. The only source of water is the lake save for rain water harvesting. If you look at the “Kimi Google Map.Pdf” file, you can see the project layout plan. (pump intake, treatment house, access points, piping) I have also attached the ministry plan that our Community Development Coordinator put together! Thanks to Water Sunday funds, we went right to work and started construction on the treatment house, pump house and base for the storage tank. You can see pictures from the assessment and progress already made in the pictures from the community here. There are some really cute kids too!
El Ocote, Honduras – 15.4316611, -86.5983361 (pull up on google maps)
El Ocote is in the Municipality of Olanchito, Department of Yoro and is home to 5,000 people. There is a middle school, high school, and health center in the community. Their water source is a contaminated river that runs next to their community. They have a water storage tank and piped water to some of the homes, but tests show it is completely contaminated. The schools report that many students miss school because they are sick from stomach and diarrhea illness from the contaminated water. Nurse, Ondina Turcios at the Health center shared that they have a high prevalence of diarrhea in the community particularly in very young children. A safe water committee has been established working closely with Philadelphia Church, pastor Lucas Vallesillo to prepare for the safe water system. Only have a couple photos right now, should get more soon. See the pictures here.
Ilamapa, Honduras – 15.6349400, -86.4213450 (
Ilamapa is home to nearly 1,000 people. Similar to Ocote, their water source is a stream that runs through their community. There is a small dam that pipes water to a large storage tank for distribution to homes. Unfortunately there is no treatment of the water so waterborne parasites are very prevalent and community members are frequently sick. Sometimes they will use a cloth to try and filter the water. Here is a testimony from Pastor Reyes who is the president of the Safe water committee. We will be installing a Living Water Treatment System to treat the water! Pastor Reyes along with other churches in the community will use the water system to share the Living Water message with community members. You can view pictures here.
“We are seeing many illnesses in our country, especially in our community, mostly affecting our kids. The main problem is intestinal parasites from the contaminated water, but we also have many cases of diarrhea affecting children and adults, and in some cases people have been hospitalized for few weeks . We also have skin diseases, and all these illnesses are from the poor condition of our water. Thanks for everything and God Bless you” – Pastor Reyes – SWC/President
Thank you so much for your support! Please join us in praying for all of these communities as the precious gift of safe water is delivered. We look forward to providing more updates as the projects move forward. Please share this information with your church members! If you have any questions, please let me know. I’d be happy to share with your or your leadership team!
Blessings,
Kevin Herr
Church Engagement Coordinator
Water Missions International
blog: blog.watermissions.org
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Transforming Lives Through Sustainable Safe Water Solutions