Clean water can transform a community. It might seem simple, but it’s true. Having a reliable source of water is something many of us take for granted. Today is World Water Day, and we know that billions of people around the world, especially the most vulnerable, are living without safe water. This can have major consequences on the quality of life. United Mission to Nepal (UMN) recognises this reality and came alongside a struggling Nepali community to help them create a dependable source of water.

 

With the rains becoming less regular due to the changing climate, a village in Nawalparasi District was struggling with farming. The community would only get one good crop a year if the rains were good, so they knew it was crucial for them to get a reliable source of water. The local church and wider community worked together with UMN and partner Isai Samaj Nawalparai (ISN) on a disaster management project to find a solution.

  

Working with UMN and ISN, they developed plans to build an irrigation canal. With the community’s hard work, they made it happen. If you visit the village today, you’ll see an irrigation canal!

 

UMN Executive Director, Joel Hafvenstein, recently visited the village and could see the huge difference it’s made to hundreds of people. “It’s bringing reliable water year-round,” says Joel. “Not just to this village’s plateau of farmland, but to the downstream villages as well.”