With the new cistern, Fatima, 14, no longer has to wait in long lines or walk for hours to retrieve water that the family needs.

SANTA LUCIA, El Salvador – Every day, Erlinda and her daughter are literally losing sleep over a basic resource: water.

During the rainy season, potable water is only available during the night. So four nights a week, Erlinda and daughter Fatima rise at 2 a.m. to stand in line and wait late into the night for their turn to collect water.

Unfortunately, this water often has high levels of chlorine, which can adversely affect the crops that Erlinda grows to help feed their family of five and also sell at the market to bring in additional income.

During the dry season, the situation becomes even worse as water becomes very scarce and Fatima must walk for 2 hours to reach the closest river and fill her bucket, only to make the long trek home again, this time with the heavy load.

More than 700 villagers are benefiting from the water cistern that was installed in Santa Lucia, including these children.

When Operation Blessing came to their community in partnership with Golden Acres Baptist Church, they saw the need for Santa Lucia to have a reliable water source and set to work installing a water cistern.

The 1,500-gallon capacity cistern will capture and store rainwater during the 6-month rainy season, giving the more than 700 residents of Santa Lucia access to a water source year-round.

It also means no longer having to walk for hours to retrieve water or losing sleep to collect water in the dark of night—giving Erlinda, Fatima and others back their much-needed rest and sleep.

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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