Stagnant water stored in buckets attracts mosquitoes, spreading malaria in rural communities.

IQUITOS, Peru – Imagine having access to water only once a week. What would that mean for your health?

For Letty and her family, it meant contracting a potentially fatal disease.

“The river is far from my home,” she said. “So I can only get water once a week and store it in large buckets. When I use it for cooking, thousands of mosquitoes are around the buckets.”

Mosquitoes are attracted to the stagnant water and rapidly proliferate in such conditions. Far from harmless, they’re spreading malaria throughout Letty’s community. Already, several of her adult children have suffered from the disease.

Now her 11 young grandchildren could be potential victims.

“I do not want my grandchildren to be at risk of contracting this disease—they are so small.”

When OB Peru staff saw the desperate need for clean drinking water for the Manacamiri community, they built a free artesian well.

Now every family has access to safe, clean water 24 hours a day—avoiding the need to store water and effectively decreasing the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.

Clean water is helping stop the spread of disease in Manacamiri.

“At last I see my grandchildren growing up without fear of catching malaria. Now I know I will not go through with my grandchildren what I went through with my children,” Letty said. “I want the best for them and I know that this well is a blessing from God, through Operation Blessing.”

To further improve conditions in the community, OB staff also offered instruction to families regarding water storage and consumption.

During 2009, OB Peru built 210 wells, helping over 52,000 people. On average, 30 wells are being built every 2 months, bringing clean drinking water and healthier living conditions to hundreds each week.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help break the cycle of suffering by giving toward Operation Blessing's water wells and cisterns program. A gift of $1,800 can drill a well for villages and supply families with clean drinking water.

 

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