Clean Water Movement

There Was No Clean Water, But Now There is Clean Water

MFUMC member Josh Lee sat in Hartsfield Jackson Airport last fall about to embark on an installation of a water purifier with a community in Chimbote, Peru for which he had worked through fund raising, training, and coordination for months. And one thought was on his mind: "I don't want to go!" Josh, a junior at Kennesaw Mountain High School, along with his mom, Kelly and Faith Robel experienced something not too uncommon when doing something for the first time: the fear that it won't work. This can be particularly daunting when you are working with resources provided by others.

Will it Work?

The team got on the plane and journeyed to Chimbote with the purifier and worked with community leaders to install it and start the process of purifying the water. And it worked. And it has worked everyday since and 1200 people have access to safe drinking water. In a community where families are forced to decide if they will heat their water or cook their food, an economical supply of water can be a life or death issue.

Can it Be Duplicated by the Community?

MFUMC is working with an additional community to duplicate the pilot program established by Josh, Kelly, and Faith. Josh is hoping to create more opportunities for churches and organizations in our area by bringing a Clean Water Conference to Atlanta June 17-18. The conference is designed for local churches and civic organizations in the Atlanta area that may have an interest in learning how they can bring clean water to the communities around the world where they already work.

You Can Join the Movement!

Perhaps you have an interest or know someone who may have an interest in attending this conference. If a 16-year old young man with his 40-something year old mom in tow can travel to a remote part of Peru and install a mini-water treatment plant in a soup kitchen serving 1,200 people, anyone can learn to do this!

Non-Profits Partner to Equip More People for More Clean Water

Edge Outreach from Louisville, KY will be bringing their equipment and training expertise to the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) facility that is adjacent to Dobbins AFB. This is exactly the same training that Josh and a group from MFUMC attended in Louisville last summer before heading off to Peru for the first water purifier installation. In addition, GTRI is doing a tremendous amount of research in the area of clean water and will be making a presentation at this conference. They have equipment on site that has been flown in from all over the world that they are testing for deployment for both large and small scale solutions .... really cool stuff! Finally, the CDC will make a presentation on the global issue of water-borne illness.

Eighteen Months Ago...And Today

Eighteen months ago our Global Mission Ministry Team had no idea that more people die annually from water-borne illnesses than AIDS, measles, and malaria combined. We had no idea that, according to UNICEF, a child dies every fifteen seconds due to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and hygiene. But we know now that with just a couple days of training, almost anyone can learn how to bring clean water to those who thirst for it. And you can make a difference today!

Click here to sign up for the Clean Water Conference now>>