Imagine… having to travel miles to collect water for your family—every single day for 32 years. This is the story of Diko.

Since Diko was a child, every day she had to travel 4 hours to fill jerry cans—each weighing 40 lbs—with water from a dirty pond that animals often roam through. Here, Diko holds a glass of the water she used to collect, drink, wash and cook with.

After marrying young, Diko became pregnant and lost the baby in a miscarriage.

“Carrying water causes miscarriages from carrying the heavy jerry cans. I was 23-years-old when I lost the baby.”

Diko went on to have another miscarriage from carrying such heavy weight on her back for long distances. This was a common tragedy for the women in her village. “The walk was treacherous.” But she had to walk the miles to collect water daily for her family, there was no other option.

Using a dirty water source caused her family many waterborne illnesses such as parasites and diarrhea, but—it was the only source of water. 

She spent every day traveling to collect water and carry heavy jerry cans home for 32 years…

Until, a few years ago.

Her village is in a region of Ethiopia where neverthirst is working to saturate the entire region with access to clean water and the gospel. Her village was one of four neighboring villages that received a piped water system (learn more here about how you can fund one), so now, she can just turn on a tap near her home.

When Diko found out about the water project, she was so happy. Now her family has good health and her children have had the opportunity to complete school. She is grateful to have the chance to grow a garden and farm, which allows her the opportunity to contribute to her family’s income.

She beamed talking about their clean water, saying “We’re able to wash our dresses now.”

“God is going to open the way of life for us.”

And God has and will continue to do a mighty work, transforming the lives of those who have remained overlooked. When you give, you empower partners in the field and local church to bring clean water and the gospel to those in desperate need.

Women bear the weight of the water crisis on their shoulders, quite literally. When you give, you are changing the lives of women and families, like Diko, by offering them hope, improved health, and access to the gospel. You can reach the unreached and make their stories truly matter, altering someone’s life—forever.

Interested in funding a project in Ethiopia?

There are 11 villages identified, ready, and waiting for clean and living water. Learn more here.