Before: Students had to drink water from the same streams used by livestock.

KADUNA, Nigeria – Every morning, close to 600 boys and girls trek through the hot savannah to go to school in the small town of Gumel in the Kaduna region of Nigeria.

Thirsty from their journey, the children often stop to drink a cup of water from the school well before they head to class.

But recently, the school’s open well was contaminated by gasoline which had seeped into it from a ruptured underground storage facility at a fuel station located nearby.

“We noticed that the water in the well smelled of gas and quickly stopped the students from drinking it,” said Rev. Victor Ategwu, the school administrator.

With the well closed, the children had no choice but to buy bottled water or go thirsty. Since many of the children come from poor homes and are unable to afford bottled water, they made the long walk home having had nothing to drink all day.

Another school in the Nasarawa region with over 450 students faced a similar problem.

“We had a well that dried up and though we tried to reactivate it, we could not get any water from it,” said Mr. Bala, the school principal.

Now, the children have access to clean water whenever they need it.

Students had to cross a busy highway, at risk of being hit by a speeding vehicle, to buy bottled water from vendors who charged exorbitant prices. Or worse, they went to a nearby stream from which cows and other livestock also drank.

But Operation Blessing learned about both schools’ struggles to provide water to students and came out to drill new wells. Now, the children have access to safe, clean water whenever they need it.

“The students are really happy that Operation Blessing responded to their cries for help. We are really grateful to you for helping our school community,” Rev. Ategwu said amidst cheers and laughter as fresh water flowed from the new well.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help break the cycle of suffering by giving toward Operation Blessing's water wells and cisterns program. A gift of $1,800 can drill a well for villages and supply families with clean drinking water.

 

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