Jesus Wells Spring Hope in Thirstiest Continent

GFA World Supplies 37 Million With Safe Water in ‘Thirstiest’ Continent

GFA World has revealed it has provided safe drinking water for a staggering 37.5 million people in Asia, the world’s “thirstiest” continent.

The number of people helped by Canadian-based GFA World, and it’s world wide partners, is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Canada.

GFA World reported millions of water-deprived families across Asia -- home to six out of every ten people on the planet -- now have safe, reliable drinking water thanks to the organization’s deep wells and BioSand filters.

In the past two decades, GFA World and its partners around the globe have provided more than 30,000 wells and 58,000 filters.

In 2019 alone, GFA -- manned entirely by local workers, many traveling from village to village on foot -- helped drill 4,856 new “Jesus Wells” and distributed 12,243 new water filters in communities, many of which were stricken by waterborne diseases.

“In the world’s thirstiest continent, GFA workers and churches are committed to meeting people’s most vital physical need -- safe drinking water,” said GFA’s founder, Dr. K.P. Yohannan, as a new report is released entitled Don’t Drink The Water (Unless You Know What’s In It).

The report comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) says one in every three people in the world doesn’t have access to safe drinking water, and the United Nations predicts that by the year 2050 up to 5.7 billion people worldwide could be affected by water shortages.

Finding safe drinking water is not just a problem in Asia. In the U.S., as many as 63 million people, nearly one in every five Americans, have been exposed to potentially unsafe drinking water, GFA World’s report says, citing lead and arsenic contamination.

Demand for Water to Skyrocket

In the next 20 years, global demand for water is expected to surge by more than 50 percent, according to the U.N.

“This desperate situation is especially acute in Asia, where millions of families get their drinking water from the only source available to them, often a dirty river or stagnant pond, which are breeding grounds for parasites and deadly bacteria,” Yohannan said.

Drinking contaminated water can lead to fatal diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis A, and diarrhea. Globally, diarrhea kills almost 2,200 children every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

By providing safe water, GFA World hopes people who’ve never heard about God’s love will see “love in action.”

In one community, the local pastor began praying for a new well when the old village water source dried up, forcing villagers to trek every day to the river. Days later, a team arrived to drill a new Jesus Well. Although skeptical at first, locals soon realized the new well was heaven-sent, the report says.

Going Deep, Finding Lasting Solutions

Beginning with the first well in the year 2000, Jesus Wells -- up to 1,500 feet in depth -- tap deep underground reserves and bring year-round, clean water to thousands of villages across Asia, each well supplying hundreds of people on average and providing a central community gathering place.

Because local people receive training to maintain the wells, the water keeps flowing. One team recently found a Jesus Well still going strong after 20 years.

Meanwhile, portable BioSand filters -- another clean-water solution, costing around $30 each -- remove most contaminants, making water 98 percent pure.

Take a look how Jason and Melody were able to see with their own eyes the incredible impact of their donations toward clean water:

A Jesus Well provides clean water for up to 300 people per day on average and can last 20 years.

That’s clean water for an entire village for only $1400, or only $5 per person! This life-giving water helps rescue mothers, fathers and children from disease, poverty and death.

Jesus Wells can literally save lives—while showing people the love of God.

Give toward clean water today!