Water is a precious gift that sustains life!
For the poor in the missions, a plentiful, clean supply of water is not a given.
At many mission sites, women and children must walk for miles to fill a bucket or jug with whatever water they can find. Then they balance it on their head and carry the heavy load home. One container a day supplies just enough for drinking and cooking, but not for bathing.
Across the globe, contaminated water is the leading cause of death and disease. It takes the lives of thousands of people each day, most of them children under the age of five. People who bathe in muddy, contaminated ponds are sickened and sometimes die after exposure to bacteria and parasites in the water.
Clean water is more precious than gold
Ask any of our Franciscan missionaries who are ministering to the poor in developing countries, and they will tell you that clean water is more precious than gold!
Guinea-Bissau in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. It ranks 178 out of 189 countries according to the NHI Human Development Index. Life expectancy is only 58 years for men and 61 years for women. And 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Shallow, hand-dug wells are the only source of water for daily needs, including drinking water, for most people in the rural population of Guinea-Bissau. No public wastewater treatment is available in the country, and access to improved water sources is limited. Only 19 percent of the people have access to piped water. Waterborne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, viral hepatitis, and acute diarrheal diseases, are the 3rd leading cause of premature death.
Fr. Michaels request for help
Father Michael Daniels, OFM serves poor villages in Guinea-Bissau, which is near the southwestern edge of the Sahel region in Africa. Most of the local people live in mud huts and the average family income is between 2 to 3 dollars per day. Fr. Michael was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, but has dedicated his life to serving God and the poor in Africa as a Franciscan missionary friar.
Fr. Michael has submitted an emergency request to provide fresh, clean water to a Franciscan Hospital that serves 500–700 patients every month and a Franciscan School where 700 children from kindergarten through the 9th grade attend school every day.
Fr. Michael and other missionary friars from the Franciscan Custody of St. Francis of Assisi of Guinea-Bissau plan to dig a well by the hospital and one by the school. Each well will be drilled down to at least 98 feet and will include water pumps and a water tower. Each well will also provide access to clean, safe drinking water via public taps for local villagers.
The benefits of clean water
– Select “[24AAWR] The precious gift that sustains life! – Wells in Guinea-Bissau“
Fuel is very expensive in Guinea-Bissau, so Fr. Micheal and our friars plan to install solar panels and batteries to operate electrical water pumps day and night. Fr. Michael also plans to improve and expand the solar panels that provide electricity to the hospital.
As part of this project, our friars also plan to expand the number of bathrooms accessible to students and teachers at our school. This will improve the overall level of hygiene and cleanliness of the school environment.
The clean water provided by the 2 new wells will greatly improve the health of the villagers, improve the recovery of hospital patients, and reduce infant mortality. School children will be healthier and become better students!
Your gift will save lives
– Select “[24AAWR] The precious gift that sustains life! – Wells in Guinea-Bissau”
As you can imagine, digging these wells, providing quality water storage, electric water pumps, and new solar panels, as well as building new bathrooms is an expensive endeavor. According to Fr. Michael, the total cost of the project is $23,055.
Our Franciscan friars and the local people in this region of Guinea-Bissau have limited resources. With your help, Fr. Michael and our missionary friars can provide safe, clean drinking water and save lives. So, Fr. Michael has reached out to us for help.
Will you please give a generous gift to help Fr. Michael provide lifesaving water to poor children, hospital patients, and families? Water is a precious gift that YOU have the power to provide!
These families rely on our Franciscan missionary friars, and we are relying on you. Like gold, the price of water can be very costly, but with your help, people in the missions can have clean, safe water. The lives you save are priceless.
May our loving God bless you and reward you for hearing the cry of the poor and answering with love and generosity.
With a hopeful heart,
Brother Andrew Brophy, OFM
Executive Director
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