“I enjoy spending time with my mother and showing her what we learn at school,” says 12-year-old Theonile. Anne Marie cherishes the moment her daughter Theonile arrives home from school each day. She is proud that Theonile is studying hard.

Anne Marie Mukandekezi, 38, is a mother of six and a resident of Gishubi village in Gakenke district in the Southern Province. She has always been a farmer but could only produce enough food for her family.

Jamila is the leader of the Jorna (Bengali for “waterfall”) Girl Power Group (GPG). The GPG meets every Sunday afternoon and they dutifully sign their names in a register. “In case some girls don’t show up, we go to their homes to check on them,” says Jamila. World Vision helped launch Girl Power Groups to help ensure girls do not go missing.

Much to Jamila’s horror, one day it was her own sister Salima who was missing. Jamila shares, “There were tears in my eyes. My sister was gone. We were always together. My only sister.”

It is early in the day and I have already lost count of how many times I have needed to use water. I have so far needed water to brush my teeth, bathe, prepare breakfast, drink coffee, and quench my thirst. With the various tasks that make up my morning routine, I hardly ever stop to think, “Is this water safe to consume?”

I don’t question if there will be enough water to fill my cup. I don’t have to travel a long distance to access my water, and I never wonder if my short walk to the tap will be dangerous.

“Eleven-year-old girl Amena is a gifted child. She draws good portraits. She learns to dance so quickly. She sings folksongs so well,” says Moitry Snal, Child Protection project staff of World Vision in southern Bangladesh. Amena lives with her adoptive family in a poor area of Khulna. Parul Begum, 48, brought Amena into her home where she lives with her two adoptive brothers and father. Parul first saw Amena walking alone on the street in the slum and felt that she needed to do something, so she took her home and became her adoptive parent.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.
Matthew 10:42

Refreshing.

For a hike in the mountains, we always take water.  The Mad Creek Trail in Colorado is a lovely, well maintained trail, mostly level, and partly in shade.  There are no large loose rocks to turn your ankles, no rivers to cross.  Wildlife are rarely seen mid-day when most people make the hike, and we saw only healthy dogs of all shapes and breeds bounding along with their owners.  We walked a total of four and a half miles in almost three hours, exhausting our out-of-shape bodies.

Visionaries are all around you. They dream of a world in which every child has clean water to drink and nutritious food to eat, and whose family has escaped the throes of extreme poverty.

Visionaries answer God’s call to take care of the orphan and the widow—“the least of these brothers and sisters of mine.” They courageously show the love of Jesus to a hurting world and invite their family and friends to walk alongside them in the journey, because Jesus said his followers would be known for their love. And they are stronger together.

“Water has given me hope. I’m a strong woman. Thanks to World Vision and clean water, there are a lot of strong women here.”

Esperance, a Rwandan mother, hasn’t always been able to say this. As one of the 785 million people around the world without clean water access, she struggled to improve every aspect of her life.

Three years ago, Sharon’s life resonated with American President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quote, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” She was born and raised in North Pokot, Ken-ya, an area known for perpetuating harmful customs to girls. This included Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, a practice that is illegal in Kenya. Sharon*, who was twelve at the time, knew she was at risk of being circumcised and handed over to a potential suitor for marriage. The only hope she had was her grandmother who could protect her from being married off.

Judy Nyokabi Kimondo, 34, could no longer doubt her sixth sense. Deep down, she knew her marriage was on the rocks. She admits, “I got married 19 years ago to Charles at an early age and despite being blessed with three children, our relationship had started to drift apart and love flew out the window. I sensed in my spirit that we had lost focus in life, always fighting over money, lacking appreciation for each other and never communicating well.” The rift widened so much that they started to attend different churches.

“Imagine the sweltering heat in this Kerio Valley, all the sweating, and then there is no water to take a bath as you go to class as a teacher, it is very pathetic,” explains Nancy Chebii, a school teacher at Ayatya Primary school, in the Bartabwa Area program.

Nancy shared her story as we sat in the shade of an acacia tree talking with the area water committee. It is almost noon and it is already very hot due to the scorching heat that the area is known for.