Mindraa’s husband was dead, a victim of the ongoing civil war in South Sudan. She and her children fled on foot from their home and homeland. Ten days later they reached the Bidibidi refugee settlement, joining 270,000+ refugees from South Sudan and other areas of conflict. Expecting to find safety, Mindraa experienced a new threat — unsafe water. Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering ministry, explained, “Mindraa and her new neighbors collected water from streams and stagnant sources contaminated with worms. This caused itchy rashes when she bathed her children and stomachaches and diarrhea when it was consumed. Despite her efforts to boil the water, the risks remained, renewing her fear for her children’s lives.” 1
Mindraa was distraught. “I felt traumatized. I brought the children here for safety, and now I feared they would die from the water.” 1
Water Mission intervened, providing safe water solutions. Together with other agencies, remotely monitored boreholes, faucets and reservoir tanks were installed, which provided reliable water supplies for Mindraa and other refugees in Bidibidi.
Mindraa recollects, “Since the safe water project … I’ve seen a great change in the children. Their bodies are healthy. They can wear clean clothes, take baths and go to school healthy.” 1
Water Mission uses SonSetLink® technology to provide data about the performance of this solar-powered pump so that maintenance can be scheduled to prevent pump failure and to keep the safe water flowing. In addition to reliable water, Water Mission’s trauma-healing training provides emotional, mental and spiritual support for these refugees. They attend because they already trust Water Mission through the provision of reliable water supplies. This training is opening the door to share the gospel with people like Mindraa.
Source: 1https://watermission.org/news/writing-a-new-story-mindraas-journey
By Sandy Shortt, December 2024