Summer intern Renee Lau tries her hand at trench digging in the Quichua community of Daldal, Ecuador.

(March 22, 2013 - by Ralph Kurtenbach) Whenever a rainstorm hit the remote community of Daldal, Ecuador, nestled between immense Andean mountain peaks, it turned area reservoirs brown with mud and debris, contaminating the water supply. And that inadequate water supply was only available intermittently.

Several years ago, members of the Daldal's community water board asked Vozandes Community Development to help rectify their water system. HCJB Global's technicians and engineers agreed, encountering a can-do attitude among the people who farm the lush green pastures, an area known for its milk and cheese.

Today, after months of hard work, all 176 families of Daldal receive clean spring water 24 hours a day-even during the hardest rains.

"The water board's treasurer, Carlos, is thrilled to have clean water available," said Bruce Rydbeck, a missionary engineer who has helped design clean-water projects throughout Ecuador since 1980.

In a shed beside his small home, Carlos and his family produce cheese. Formerly, this had required them to haul water from a river 300 feet below. Using some 200 gallons of water per day in production, the change allows family energies to be directed to other work.

Ecuadorian children enjoy playing with fresh, safe water.

Wilfrido, a young father, told Tannia Lascano, the team's health and hygiene instructor, that the people of Daldal people initially expressed only limited interest in her health classes, but now they realize the importance of good hygiene.

"They are grateful for the Lord's provision of donated materials and the technical supervision of the Vozandes Community Development staff," Rydbeck said.

Not all rural communities are as fortunate. Half of the hospital beds in developing countries are filled with people suffering from diseases caused by water-transmitted diseases, according to Water Aid, an effective responder to the global need for clean water. Every year diarrhea kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Statistics reveal that annually about 700,000 children-nearly 2,000 a day-die because of unsafe water and poor sanitation.

The thirsty-those whose health would be less jeopardized with clean drinking water-number some 783 million people worldwide. Just over half of the world's population has water piped to their homes. Yet for many of them, the water supply is not only irregular but also of unreliable quality. Additionally, some 2.5 billion people-almost two-fifths of the world's population-do not have access to adequate sanitation.

Haitian workers put the finishing touches on a large water storage tank in La Bruyère.

The statistics have not significantly changed since World Water Day was observed last March. The U.N.-designated event, held each March 22, has sought to raise people's consciousness of the need for clean water. Rydbeck cites the unsettling data, but his encouragement surges with new projects begun in Ecuador as well as elsewhere.

Recently three Ecuadorians, César Cortez along with Francisco Caiza and his son, Edison, teamed up with the people of La Bruyère in northern Haiti to complete another phase of work on that community's water project. The Caizas became water technicians with Vozandes Community Development after they and other families witnessed firsthand the manifold benefits of a system that was constructed in their remote community in Chimborazo province under Rydbeck's guidance in the 1990s. They need a response. Jesus sends His followers to help where they can.

The La Bruyère work was temporarily set back by a breakdown in negotiations with a landowner whose property was needed for construction of a reservoir tank, but Cortez persisted and community leaders acquired another plot of ground.

Local residents in Hateka, Ghana, get potable water from a recently installed pump.

"We see in every step God's presence," he said. "I'm amazed at how Edison and Francisco pray and give testimony of God's help to the people. The community president is now so excited and won't leave us until we complete the project."

Meanwhile, British engineer Adeline McCartney recently arrived in Accra, Ghana, to consult on clean water projects in HCJB Global's Sub-Sahara Africa Region. One ministry partner, Theovision, collaborated with the mission as well as the residents of Hateka, outside of Ghana. Theovision specializes in recording audio Bibles in African languages.

In the communities of Houndé and Fada in Burkina Faso, water wells have been installed in partnership with Radio Evangile Développement (RED). Additional wells are being planned this year.

"Water professionals who previously worked with us are implementing development ministries in Africa, Central Asia, and other areas of the world," Rydbeck said. "Our vision is to provide opportunities for more professionals to be trained in implementing sustainable clean water sources for communities around the world."

Source: HCJB Global