Waters of New Life

A source of help and hope for those experiencing war, conflict or disaster.

Families from the village of Longairo in southern Sudan spent years hiding in the mountains to escape the atrocities of a 20-year civil war. Finally it was safe enough to return home. The joy of homecoming was short lived, though, for when they reached their village they found their sources of drinking water were dried up or contaminated.

Even though the story of these families and this small farming village has not received media attention, through our gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response, we show that we are there and we care.

ELCA International Disaster Response provided a new well for the village through partners Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and the Lutheran World Federation. The families of Longairo, now freed from a daily search for water, can fi nally focus on rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

The well project, coupled with hygiene and sanitation training, not only provided water for drinking and agriculture, but also reduced the occurrence of waterborne illness. “Now we know what can cause our children to get sick and how to prevent it,” said a woman who attended the training sessions.

Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response fund the ongoing work in southern Sudan and in Sudan’s Darfur provinces. Our disaster response provides clean water, nutritious meals, protection from violence, health care, and shelter to tens of thousands of displaced persons and returnees in the region.