It's a game changer, and you helped make it happen last year.
At the end of 2021, we had just launched a new initiative to see women pump mechanics fixing wells in South Sudan. “Watch and see what these women do in 2022” was our challenge.
We are delighted to report that we now have 15 teams of highly motivated pump mechanics. These courageous women-led teams will complete 300 well repairs this year alone!
The game is officially changed!
A quarter of a million people are now experiencing the hope-giving power of clean water. That is what we do because water is basic!
This year-end, we seek to fund the ENTIRE operational budget for South Sudan for 2023. We want to be sure no pump mechanic will have to wait for parts and no village will have to wait for clean water. Next year, we will launch in a new state, and our goal is to grow our repair rate by fifty percent.
I hope those kinds of numbers inspire you. However, it's vital that we connect to the people, the women, the moms, the schoolmasters, the soldiers, the farmers, and the children whose lives are being reignited by hope, too. Numbers are only part of the story.
Over the next few weeks, we want to share with you the hope-creating stories of people that are moving our souls and motivating our work. People like Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Ajak Nhial is 30 years old, the mother of 5 children, and recently divorced from her abusive husband. Elizabeth has known hardship all of her life. One of ten children, she is one of only four who survived life in South Sudan.
Her husband was so abusive he nearly killed her twice and almost caused her to lose her eyesight. When she could take no more, she told the village elders she would rather hang herself than stay in such a marriage. After many hours of deliberation, the elders, whose approval she would need to leave her husband, decided it would be better if she hung herself.
Elizabeth’s brother James and Mother and Aunt
Elizabeth's older brother went to bat for her, and eventually, she was granted a divorce. Unheard of in this patriarchal culture, her divorce freed Elizabeth from the abuse, but the “stain” would subject her to extreme poverty. (below pic is James, her brother, and her mom and aunt)
However, now Elizabeth is a pump mechanic.
Elizabeth says, “I currently live with my five children, and my job in well repair is promising as my work partner, Abraham Maker, and I have managed to repair twenty-seven wells. We have already scheduled to repair other wells next week. My community is pleased with my work, and I earn money through well repair to improve the standards of living for my children and my mother.”
Every well-repaired means another village can continue to invest in the future. By now, we all know the impact of clean water on the lives of South Sudanese.
However, as you make your gift to our work this year-end, please keep in mind Elizabeth and the other pump mechanics and the hope they are experiencing because of your generosity. Your gift is game-changing for them too.
