Water is Life! In the Gospel, Jesus and his apostles refer to “living waters” and “springs of living waters” as a blessing God wishes to provide all people. The significance of living water is both spiritual and existential. Without the “living water” that comes with faith in Christ Jesus there is no spiritual life and without clean safe drinking water there is no physical life. Safe Water Africa’s vision and purpose has been to support the church in Tanzania, Africa and help it accept responsibility for the temporal as well as spiritual needs of the people it serves, especially in rural villages. What God has shown us is that the spiritual and physical need for living water are inextricably linked.

Access to safe drinking water is a huge issue worldwide for 1 in 10 people or almost 800 million people. Unsafe water and lack of sanitation kill over 30,000 people each month with children affected the most. Living with dirty water and the sickness it brings takes a heavy toll on the survivors. Safe water can transform communities by eliminating the need for many medical clinics devoted to water related illnesses and allowing communities to focus on faith, education, commerce and a better life.

As Safe Water Africa has sought to support local churches and their pastors in Tanzania, it has found that by providing safe drinking water through the local church it can also provide “living water” to those it serves and to those who live in proximity to these churches.