When you think of Houston multinationals you probably think of corporate entities in the oil-drilling or processing industry. But you might not realize we also have a locally-based multinational humanitarian organization that also drills wells. But for a more essential resource, water.
Living Water International is a 20 year old nonprofit/nongovernmental organization (NGO) based out of Stafford that got its start on the heels of a simple desire to serve a community in Kenya. In 1990, as part of a Baptist mission trip, several men from the Fort Bend County went to Mombasa, Kenya, intent to help build and repair some buildings and drill a water well. That first well effort was not a success, but the vision of this community essentially finding drinking water from dirty ground water instilled in LWI’s founders a desire to see an organization devoted to getting clean water to people in need. And over the next 5 years they set out to both start the organization and to complete that and other wells in Kenya.
On Friday night, Sept 30th, LWI will host a gala fundraiser, and on Saturday, Oct 1st they will offer an open house to those interested in supporting their cause or learning more about their efforts. For more information on both events click here.
God is With Us from Living Water International on Vimeo.
Worldwide, today it is estimated that 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water. And as a result these communities are trapped in debilitating poverty because they constantly suffer from water-related diseases and parasites, or because they spend long stretches of their time carrying water over long distances.
LWI, forged under a deep Christian faith perspective to serve others, now implements participatory, community-based water solutions in developing countries. By helping to train, consult, and equip local people to implement solutions in their own countries, today they have completed more than 9,000 water projects for communities in 26 nations.
And in the spirit of their first trip, LWI still uses volunteers on mission trips each year to assist local communities – under the leadership of those locals – to help implement new projects as well as repair wells and launch education projects on water hygiene.