We did it!
Thanks to the generous support of ELCA youth and adults, the 100 Wells Challenge goal of $250,000 was not just met -- it was doubled!
To date, more than $500,000 has been received in support of this effort -- over $400,000 was raised at the ELCA Youth Gathering alone.
Your gifts are making a difference. They are changing lives across the world. I would like to tell you about one of them: Diko. As a teenage girl living in the Central African Republic, fetching water for the family is a daily responsibility. Years ago, however, the water she collected was contaminated. It made her and her family sick. But she had no other choice.
Today, thanks to your gifts to ELCA World Hunger, Diko and her community have access to a newly constructed spring box. This water source provides safe, clean water to Diko, her family and as many as 500 other families in the area. Now they are stronger, healthier and enjoying a better quality of life. This work just wouldn’t be possible without your support.
Please watch this video or download and share it with the youth and members of your congregation who have contributed to this work through the 100 Wells Challenge or through their ongoing support of ELCA World Hunger.
We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. Your gifts to the 100 Wells Challenge will be used to support the water projects of ELCA World Hunger where needed most.
But our work is far from over. More than a billion people lack access to safe, clean water. Here are a few ideas to keep the energy of the 100 Wells Challenge going.
- The 100 Wells Tour features AGAPE*, Rachel Kurtz and Lost And Found in concert bringing music, inspiration and support for the water projects of ELCA World Hunger to 18 cities across the country.
- ELCA Good Gifts are a creative way to give a gift in honor of a loved one and support the ministries of the ELCA. Find gifts that support water projects like a water well, irrigation system or water jugs. Visit www.elca.org/goodgifts to shop the giving catalog or find resources to get your congregation involved this Christmas.
Thank you for your prayers, your partnership and your gifts,
The Rev. Daniel Rift
Director,
ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal