“I was thirsty and you gave Me drink… inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My bretheren, you did it to Me.” — Matthew 25:35, 40

People Are Thirsty

“Almost all rivers are dry right now,” shared one Gospel for Asia worker, Daniel. But ther water shortage in his village of Andhra Pradesh, India, was just beginning. “The real drought will come in the summer days… We have to wait almost six and a half months for the rain to come.”

Not far away, Gospel for Asia Pastor Layak spoke of the water shortage his people faced. “In the summer especially, the people here would bring water from the other villages,” he says. “The nearest village is at least six kilometres away.”

Water – A Scarce Necessity

For many villages in South Asia, water—life's basic necessity—is often in short supply. Women and children are forced to walk hours a day to search for water, only to find filthy ponds or lakes which are often contaminated with waterborne illnesses. Sometimes they know this will bring death and sickness to their families, but they have no other option.

• 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases. That's more than 75% of the population of New Zealand.
• Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
• Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death among children under five in the world. Diarrhoea kills more children than malaria, AIDS, and measles combined.
• Globally, women spend 200 million hours every day collecting water.

View Full Infographic ►

More Than Just a Cup of Clean Water

A Jesus Well provides pure, safe water for an entire village full of thirsty people, which means that mums no longer need to walk for kilometres to find water or worry about what diseases they are introducing to their children. But best of all, it is a practical demonstartion of God's love.

Often located near a church or Bible college, a Jesus Well provides many opportunities for missionaries to share the love of Jesus with the villagers who come for clean water. Each well bears a plaque with John 4:13-14, sharing about the Living Water. Christ's love, demonstrated so cledarly through the Jesus Well, makes such an impression on the people's hearts that many choose to follow Him.

The Dalit people, called “Untouchables” are often barred from drawing water from the village well because of their social status. Christians suffer too, as persecution commonly comes in the form of banning them from the local water source. Water from a Jesus Well is freely offered to all, regardless of social or religious backgrounds, tangibly expressing Christ's love to all who come to the well.

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Turn Your Passion into Action

Step into action, start a campaign to raise $1,600 for a Jesus Well. Along with some of your friends, you can change the physical and spiritual health of an entire village!

Our helpful fundraising pack will provide you with tools to aid in your fundraising, as well as motivate you as you work towards your goal. 100% of the funds you raise will go to the field. We'll create a personalised web campaign for you on givealittle.co.nz so that your friends can see your progress and donate to your campaign online.

In the pack:

• 1 full colour progress chart
• 1 full colour poster
• 1 full colour label to attach to a collection can
• Images to help promote your campaign through social media
• Stories and videos from the field
• Other helpful resources for reaching your goal and for sharing about your campaign

As you take action on behalf of those who are suffering without clean water, you will be saving men, women and children from disease and early death while also pointing people to the Living Water. Start your campaign today and allow God to use your life to impact eternity!

Stories from the Field

Not Allowed to Drink… Water?

Desperate for More Than Clean Water

Drinking the Water that Killed Their Livestock

Videos