A unbelievable last day

Today was really a dreamcome true for me. I shared with the students tonight that when we left Guatemala last year on the plane ride home I left with the challenge to do more for this country. We left last year having built houses for people that desperately needed them and we left having fed thousands of people with rice and beans. I knew the beans and rice would soon be all eaten and the house we build would one year rust and fall apart. I sensed God calling us to something that would leave a longer impact on more people. While atPassion this year I was introduced to Living Water. They build wells for people that do not have clean water. That was something I sensed God calling me to lead our Student Ministry to do. Long story short The students and adults involved in Student Ministry were challenged and they met the challenge and fully funded a well here in Guatemala. The total cost of the Project was $5,000 the money was collected in less than 5 months. Today we drove to see the village of 250 people and the well they now have. A big thanks to the support of people that saw a needand met it. ( See below for the detailed report.)

Words cannot express how I feel ton

ight. It truly was awesome to see children today drinking water that is pure. This water will not make them sick and they will have a better opportunity to survive so they can learn about a God that loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.

Thank you to all the people that have given to support this effort. I wish everyone of you could have been th

ere today to see the well. We have lots of photos and will be s

haring them all soon.

We all placed our hands on the well today and all prayed for the well and the village it will impact. We prayed that they will come to know a God that has provided living water that can meet their physical and spiritual needs.

God has really used students this week to impact the lives of people that need to know of his love. That is amazing!

COUNTRY OVERVIEW SUPPORTING DATA

Guatemala struggles with revitalization after enduring 36 years of civil war. Social services country-

wide strive to obtain pre-war levels while over half the population survives below the poverty line.

According to a recent UNDP Human Development Index report, Guatemala is ranked 118th out of 177

countries. Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and survives among the 10

poorest countries in Latin America, according to UNICEF. Over half a million Guatemalans lack

access to clean drinking water and an estimated two million are without adequate sanitation facilities.

Decades of Civil War have forced many Guatemalans to reside outside their country. The distribution

of income remains highly unequal with approximately 7.1 million of the population below the poverty

line and just over 400,000

unemployed. An estimated 30 percent of the population is illiterate, leaving

Guatemala with the lowest literacy rate in Central America.1 Guatemala’s location on the Caribbean

Sea and Pacific Ocean leaves the country susceptible to hurricanes, significant flooding and

mudslides.1 The nation also suffers from frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity making efforts to

restore the war-stricken country near impossible.

The most serious issue hindering social development is health. Surviving in Guatemala are 75,000

children severely malnourished as a consequence of chronic poverty and drought.1 According to a

recent UNICEF report, infant mortality accounts for 40 per 1,000 live births and is double in isolated

rural indigenous areas, while maternal mortality is 89 per 100,000 live births nationally. Education

enrollment is declining steadily while districts suffer from school absenteeism and retention as drop-

out rates increase. According to UNICEF, five out of 10 students entering primary school in urban

areas complete primary school as opposed to only two out of 10 in rural areas. Considering 60

percent of the school age population resides in rural areas, this situation has become critical.

Utilization of contaminated water sources such as swamps, lakes, and open hand-dug wells have

weakened the nation. Water and sanitation-related disease, particularly diarrhea, are major causes of

death in many areas, particularly for children under the age of five. It is estimated that 80 percent of

the illnesses in Guatemala are water-related. Clearly an urgent need to develop safe water supplies

and basic sanitation for Guatemalans is paramount to the country’s survival.

Population: 12.7 million Population younger than 15: 40% Urban population: 48% Birth rate: 2.9%

Death rate: .5% Under-5 deaths: 4.5% Infant mortality (deaths per 1000 live births): 30 (compared to 7 in th

ECLA, Guatemala, 2007 Inter-American Development Bank, Natural Disasters, 2007 UNICEF, Guatemala, 2007

Project Report Submitted to: First Baptist Biloxi

People Served: 250

Project Report Submitted by: Living Water International

DONOR REPORT CONTACT

Chris Winter, Director- Director- Southeast Region Living Water International · P.O. Box 35496 · Houston, TX · 77235-5496 1.877.594.4426 · www.water.cc

GENERAL INFORMATION

The community of Linea B-2 is located in the Cuyotenango region and Schitepequez district of

Guatemala. The team thought that the community was so united and powerful. Most people in the

community earn a living through farming and fishing. Their previous water source was from an open well about one kilometer away. Drinking water from this well would cause dysentery in the community. The community helped out the LWI with the water project by providing materials, food, labor and security. When the well was complete, the community established a point person to be the caretaker of the well.

Testimony from a community member: Guillermo Sac, 48 year old farmer spoke with the team. “The old well was very contaminated. Many of our kids were getting sick. We knew of Living Water and had talked with other villages that received a well so we know how beneficial the clean water is to the people. Now with this well, our children and grandchildren will not get sick anymore. We are very happy, and we know that God has answered our prayers. Thank you, Living Water, for the project and thank you to the gringos that came to give us this well.

HYGIENE TEACHING

The community was so humble, kind and thankful about the project in their community. The hygiene classes went so well. The children paid attention and answered the questions well. They were excited everyday and ready to hear the lessons. Their teachers already taught them the importance of good hygiene. The ladies were so thankful for the classes and they shared some comments about the lessons. The teachers try really hard to get medicine.