Water is essential to life. At home, it plays a critical role not only for drinking, but for cooking, washing dishes and completing everyday chores. Yet for many families around the world, access to safe, clean water remains out of reach.
In Ngoma, Rwanda, Francine and her husband Theogene are raising six children, with a seventh on the way. For years, like many in their community, they struggled without access to clean water. Every drop – for drinking, cooking or cleaning – came at the cost of time, effort or health.
This daily hardship, however, has become a story of hope.
Thanks to the efforts of World Relief, in partnership with 20 Liters, Francine’s family received the simple but life-changing tool of a household water filter. This water filter means they can now directly drink safe water and use it without the added burden of boiling it or paying high prices for clean water – costs that add up when in rural Rwanda, a living wage is about $150 USD per month.
“Before we received the filter,” Francine recalls, “we used to fetch water from the swamp. To get clean tap water, one jerrycan of 20 liters cost us 200 Rwandan francs ($0.15 USD) – and even then, sometimes it wasn’t available. After buying it, we still had to boil it, which meant spending more money and time. But often we couldn’t manage, and we ended up drinking dirty water. That brought us intestinal worms and other illnesses.”
The struggle extended beyond health. “Buying firewood to boil the water was expensive,” Francine explains. “It also took a lot of time – waiting for the water to boil, then waiting for it to cool before drinking. Those who couldn’t afford the firewood would just drink the water as it was, even if it wasn’t safe, which led to waterborne diseases.”
Today, life is different.
“Now, I simply fetch the water, pour it into the filter and drink it right away,” she says with a smile. “It’s clean, safe and saves us both money and time.” The money they used to spend on water and firewood now goes toward household needs – including school fees and supplies for their children.
Francine’s filter has also become a valuable resource for her neighbors.
“Ever since we got the filter, many people come to me asking for drinking water because they know it’s clean. Every day, more than 10 people in our neighborhood use this filter,” she says proudly.
She has also joined a local Community Hygiene Club, where members pool resources to purchase jugs and cups to safely store and share clean water.
With deep gratitude, Francine concludes, “I want to thank 20 Liters for working with World Relief to change our lives. They gave us a simple but powerful tool – a filter – that has transformed our health and well-being. They have truly been good partners in our development journey.”
