University of Mobile Campus Ministries
in cooperation with
Healing Waters International
What is Healing Waters International?
Healing Waters International is a non-profit organization that makes water purification devices to be installed in poor, urban areas in developing nations. Because many municipal water systems in Africa and Central America are damaged and the water they provide is contaminated, countless people are dying each day from water-borne disease. Many people with limited financial resources must make a choice between buying food or purchasing expensive bottled water. Healing Waters International aims to prevent these life-threatening diseases by making clean, affordable water available to as many people as possible.
What does Healing Waters International actually do?
Healing Waters International works with churches in developing nations to provide clean drinking water by providing sustainable water purification systems. Healing Water International builds the purification system using local supplies and parts, then continues to work with the church to maintain the system. Local people are trained to operate and maintain the water purification system, allowing the community to become self-sufficient. By providing training to local people, Healing Waters International puts in practice the old saying, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry again.”
What are other benefits of a Healing Waters system?
The Healing Waters system produces up to 5,000 gallons of clean, safe water each day, and that is only the beginning of the benefits to the local community. Those churches chosen to receive a purification system sell the water at prices usually less than ¼ of the store price, allowing the poor to afford water. Healing Waters International requires that a portion of the profits must be used to fund local community service projects. Also, those churches with purifications system are required to provide free drinking water to a local school. These systems also create jobs at the church for people who are in need, thus stimulating the local economy.
What do we want to do?
Simply, the goal of the University of Mobile Campus Outreach Group is to involve each UM student in a campus-wide project to be a Healing Waters system sponsor. Together, we would like to fully fund one water purification system in a local church located in either Guatemala or Kenya (two countries working with Healing Waters). The price of one system is $24,000. It is an ambitious goal that will involve a true sacrifice from every UM student.
Why Do We Want To Do This?
One billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 3.4 million people, mostly children, die each year from water-borne illnesses. Nearly one half of the world’s population suffers from debilitating water-related diseases. Some believe that 90% of childhood deaths are caused by water-borne pathogens. Why should we even care about people in far-off nations? Simply, because God cares.
In Psalm 116:5 it says “our God is full of compassion.” We are called to show compassion to others. What exactly does that mean? Compassion means to “suffer with” another. When one of our fellow believers suffers, we suffer. Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” How can we stand by when someone we are supposed to love is in pain and suffering? We cannot. We must take a stand and make a difference.
What is the plan?
The first part of our plan is simply prayer. We want to ask everyone to pray for guidance as we join in this project. Getting the word out about the need and how to help is crucial. Information booths will be set up across campus at periodic times to give information out, ask for help, and collect donations. Students with collection buckets will be placed at each major dorm to collect money on a day-to-day basis so people can give as they come and go. In addition, we will equip students with packets of information and DVDs to take home to their home church and further alert people to this need. We will ask students to go back to their churches, explain the need, and ask for their church family to join with the University of Mobile in this life-changing effort.
We honestly believe this goal is attainable. To put this goal into perspective, if only 500 people gave just $50, then the goal would be met. Our deadline is five months away. For one person to save $40-$50 in five months would only amount to $10 a month. We believe this is not too great a sacrifice to ask to allow thousands in Africa or Central America to have access to safe drinking water – something we can get in Mobile, Alabama, at the twist of a knob. To meet this goal we simply need people to help through prayer, giving, and word-of-mouth.
This is a goal that the University of Mobile’s Campus Outreach Group is undertaking and we need your help! For more information or ways to get involved, please contact one of the following:
Click here to get info on the Healing Waters Benefit Concert.
Matt Davis, Student Coordinator
UM Campus Ministries Outreach Team
(901) 489-4900
Neal Ledbetter
Director of Spiritual Life
University of Mobile
(251) 599-3323
Beth Stanley, Student Coordinator
UM Campus Ministries Outreach Team
(205) 253-4100 |
