As the world marks World Water Day on Sunday, March 22, HCJB Global is expanding its clean water projects beyond the borders of Ecuador.

World Water Day, designated by a U.N. General Assembly resolution, has been celebrated annually since 1993.

HCJB Global Hands, the ministry's healthcare outreach, launched its first African water project in Hateka, a village outside of Accra, Ghana, in February.

This was the community's first clean water supply, completed through a cooperative effort of HCJB Global and Theovision, a local ministry that specializes in recording audio Bibles in African languages.

Formerly, residents obtained water from an abandoned well that caved in while it was being dug. "The water was stagnant, dirty and very unsafe to drink," said HCJB Global engineer Jeremy Maller who helped with the installation of the well.

"I watched the large drill turn as it pushed through the earth," he said. "Later, water began spraying from the borehole, and we knew that clean water was now going to be a reality for Hateka for the first time!"

The clean water project in Hateka, serving both the village and the surrounding area, is part of HCJB Global's Voice and Hands Initiative in Africa to integrate media and healthcare to impact communities.

Before becoming a full-time missionary, Maller served in Ecuador for several months as a working visitor and was mentored by HCJB Global's long-time water project director in Ecuador, Bruce Rydbeck.

While Ecuador has made huge strides in building its infrastructure, only about 50 percent of rural Ecuadorians have access to an improved drinking water source. Many of these residents resort to using contaminated water, often resulting in disease and even death. Others spend hours each day hauling water from distant sources, expending valuable resources.

In an effort to address this problem, HCJB Global Hands has been involved in Clean Water Projects in Ecuador in since 1980, utilizing funds from individual donors, churches, governments and collaborating charitable organizations. Through the mission's rich history of helping with water projects, HCJB Global Hands is now able to expand to Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Development flourishes and health is improved by implementing biblical values," Rydbeck added. "Training in water system management and hygiene are as integral to the program as evangelism, discipleship and pastoral training."

He emphasized that each benefiting community is required to provide manual labor, local materials and some of the finances for their project. The communities also build their own latrines and participate in hygiene sessions to receive the collaborative help from HCJB Global Hands.

"The local people work in the hot sun as well as cold, pelting rain to dig many miles of pipe trench more than a yard deep by hand," Rydbeck explained. "They haul tons of cement, sand and stone to remote building sites. They solve difficult construction issues with minimal resources.

"As a result, the sense of pride and ownership runs deep when they complete the project, providing clean water and sanitation at each home. They know that God empowers us when we harmonize our plans with His desires."

The Clean Water Projects team in Ecuador has 19 staff members who work with communities in the country's coastal areas, highlands and jungles. In 2008 work was completed in 20 communities, giving more than 1,200 households access to clean water.

Posted: March 20, 2009