World Water Day 2022: Colombian Families’ Dreams for Clean Water Come True
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 22, 2022) For more than 40 years, Colombian families in the communities of Charco Trece, Meta and La Guajira have relied on collecting rainwater or making daily trips to bring back buckets and cans of water.
Today, on World Water Day, two clean water projects are benefiting those 1,174 families living in vulnerable conditions, thanks to Food For The Poor’s generous donors, and its partnerships with Minuto de Dios, and The Order of Malta.
In addition to providing clean water, the projects will improve the living conditions of families and will improve the hygiene, health, and well-being of the 4,117 people who make up these communities. Mothers and children no longer will have to walk for hours to reach a water source, returning home with heavy buckets of water not knowing if it is clean enough to drink.
“Imagine how many lives will be spared in these areas with the installation of just one water well or basic sanitary facility,” Food For The Poor President/CEO Ed Raine said. “We are so grateful to our donors for bringing life-giving water to these communities.”
Jose, a resident, and beneficiary expressed his gratitude.
“We feel very blessed and grateful to God for all the support we have received from the entities that financed and carried out the project, to all of them may God bless you,” he said.
Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is one of the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“Never will families in these regions have to depend on rain to collect water, nor suffer from extensive drought periods because of climate change,” Colombia Country Project Manager David Langle said. “These communities have now gained one of the most vital elements to live: clean drinking water.”
Diego, the community president of Charco Trece, commended FFTP and Minuto de Dios for making the neighborhood’s clean water project feasible.
“Thank you very much for making our dream come true,” Diego said.
Ismael, a 90-year-old resident, couldn’t contain his joy at finally obtaining clean water in his neighborhood.
“I moved to this village 45 years ago, and I can’t believe we’ll finally have water. This project is the biggest blessing that has come to our community,” Ismael said.
Order of Malta Project Coordinator Luis Gabriel facilitated water, sanitation, and hygiene workshops, and demonstrated the operation of the water treatment plant that will benefit families for years to come.
World Water Day has been observed on March 22 every year since 1993 as a way of drawing attention to the importance of clean water and advocating for the long-term management of freshwater resources.
Since 2008, FFTP has installed 2,202 water filtration systems with the support of Water Mission to give clean water to hundreds of thousands of people in need across Latin America and the Caribbean. Each unit is capable of purifying and chlorinating 10,000 gallons of water each day.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Miguel Perez
Communications
347-683-7715
[email protected]