A Cup of Clean Water
Marie Chantal lives in a rural area of Rwanda, but that doesn’t mean her home is isolated from others. She lives near the village office and as a result, there are often people walking past her home. On warm days, as these neighbors wait to be seen at the office, it is not uncommon for them to stop at Chantal’s home to ask if they might have a cup of clean water as they wait in the sun and heat.
For many years, this neighborly request was difficult for Chantal to grant. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to share with her neighbors. But, water was a complicated resource for her family.
Marie Chantal is the mother of three children. They were often sick with waterborne diseases, because their family was drinking dirty water. Chantal could not afford firewood to boil their water. She also struggled to be able to find her children the care they needed at the hospital.
But when Marie Chantal’s family was selected to receive a SAM3 Household filter, all that changed. She tells us, “It was like my prayers were answered, I no longer had to worry about the health of my children.”
Once she was able to stop worrying about her children’s health, it was easier to start serving her neighbors. Now, when people stop and ask for a drink, Marie Chantal is happy to serve them a cup of clean water.
