Over the past few years, Open Doors has been working solidly to provide readily accessible water to Christian communities in northern Africa, including Ethiopia and Nigeria.
For many women and children living in these areas, it is common for them to walk 8 km to reach the nearest source of clean water. This daily activity can take more than half a day, and can be very strenuous, as they often travel on rough roads by foot and then carry heavy loads back, sometimes up to 50 kg at a time.
In 2012, we focused our resources in northern Nigeria, an incredibly dangerous place to live as a Christian. Believers are regularly targeted by extremists because of their faith in Jesus, and as a result, their families, churches and businesses are often put in jeopardy.
In Australia, we can take it for granted how easily we can access clean, running water. In Nigeria, the Islamic government refuses to build boreholes for Christian dominated villages, even after collecting a financial levy from the villagers to do so, leaving the Christians to find alternative supplies. They travel long distances, or find water where they can - often sharing the same ponds as their livestock, which endangers their health.
Despite ongoing conflicts in the region, Open Doors continues to work in northern Nigeria, building deep water boreholes in the remote villages of Unguwar Mazadu, Gidan Manya, Kankara and Gidan Bakula, supplying clean water to the surrounding Christian communities.
At this point, a deep water pumping bore has been built in Gidan Manya. Praise God! A community representative said this about their new water pump: "We used to suffer here before this borehole was drilled for us. We used to go more than 3 km to fetch water... We thank God and Open Doors for this great blessing... [Read More]
Visit our Walk to Water website to find out more and to register for 2013! There are plenty more villages that need clean water and YOU can help make that happen!