Clean Water Brings Financial Freedom
The luxury of clean water seemed unattainable to Byanone and his family. The challenges to purify untreated water from the nearby lake were many, including saving enough money to buy firewood for boiling out the impurities and the time commitment required for this process. But consumption of untreated water led to illnesses which further strained his family’s finances. This kept them stuck in a cycle of poverty.
Byanone and his wife, Grace, faithfully attend their local church in the Ngoma District of Rwanda. It was here that he was introduced to World Relief Rwanda and the partnership with 20 Liters. During a community distribution event, Byanone was selected to receive a household water filter – a seemingly small transaction with transformative results.
His family quickly discovered that the simple act of using the 20 liters filter led to improved health. Money that was previously spent on firewood for water purification was now available. Through his church, Byanone joined a World Relief Savings for Life group. His financial literacy increased along with his savings. Soon, he was able to invest in livestock and began to use the manure from his pigs and goats to fertilizer his farm. This had further financial benefit, as he no longer had to purchase fertilizer for his crops.
Something as simple as a water filter is having ripple effects not only on Byanone and Grace, but on their entire community. This once vulnerable community is happy and thriving. The Byanone and his family are so grateful for their church, World Relief and 20 Liters for the support.
20 Liters technology is distributed in Rwanda in partnership with World Relief through Church Empowerment Zones (CEZ). This way, clean water is the start of the process that helps bring about flourishing communities through health and hygiene training, early childhood development, Families for Life, Savings for Life, and Agriculture for Life programs. Thank you for your generous support of this project that helps so many.
