Have you ever gone for a health checkup and worried whether they had water? The answer is most likely “no.” You’ve probably never even thought about it.
Mabel, a midwife who grew up in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, never had to think about water either. That all changed when she transferred to a rural clinic, four hours away from the city. Now her biggest obstacle to providing safe healthcare is access to clean water. And when there’s no water, patients get sent home early.
Her modest clinic has four exam rooms, one office, and a single rainwater tank. When the dry season comes and that tank runs empty, staff and patients are forced to rely on the community dam. It’s an open, contaminated source downhill from the town, full of chemicals, animal waste, and crocodiles. “We depend on rainwater,” explains Mabel. “The entire community depends on the dam.”
They don’t have to imagine using this dirty water to wash their hands, or to clean their instruments, or to deliver babies. They do it all the time. And Mabel’s not alone. In Ghana, nearly 4 million people don’t have access to clean water and basic sanitation. Rural communities feel this pain the most.
When her clinic’s rainwater supply runs dry, Mabel must use this muddy dam — the community’s only other water source.
While Mabel’s clinic only uses around 10 gallons of water in a single day, every drop is of utmost importance. “Unclean water affects [pregnancy] service delivery, especially during labor,” says Mabel. “If relatives don’t bring water to the facility, we may be forced to discharge mothers early.”
Having a baby should be a joyous occasion, but in the developing world it carries a much higher risk of death for both mother and baby — up to 20 times greater than in the U.S. “I love what I do, but it is challenging,” Mabel says. “Clean water will change everything. It would make our work so much easier, and the health of babies so much better.”
Until a long-term solution arrives, Mabel and her team buy small packets of water with their own pay to care for dehydrated children and safely administer medication. But supplies rarely last more than a day.
“God heard our cry.”
Ramicah had to leave her children with her parents so they could have the clean water they needed to be healthy.
Just a half hour away from Mabel’s community, midwife Ramicah serves at another clinic. Though she holds multiple nursing and midwifery degrees, seven years ago she chose rural work out of conviction. But when she arrived, she was stunned to learn that the only water available was from an open dam. She left her children back home in Accra with her parents so they could have safe water and go to school.
Meanwhile, she treated her patients with whatever water she could carry from the nearby dam. “Because of the dirty water, patients come in with diarrhea, typhoid, skin infections,” she says. “Any treatment we give, they use the same dirty water to take medication, so they relapse.”
She faced the same risks. “I sometimes got diarrhea and had no option but to drink the water for my medication,” she says. “I needed to be strong for my clients, but I was also weak.”
Recently, good news began flowing from Ramicah’s community. “God heard our cry, and World Vision came,” she says. A mechanized water system, recently completed by World Vision, was changing everything for the better.
An exuberant Ramicah shows the showers that are new to the clinic. Now mothers who have recently given birth can easily clean themselves.
“It’s been less than a month, and we are all still smiling,” she says. Her clinic now has reliable sinks, toilets, and showers, along with improved nearby sanitation facilities.
“Our attendance is going up because mothers know this clinic now has clean water. No infections, no recurring disease. Water is flowing. It’s a life-changer,” she continues, “I wish all other communities with health facilities will have World Vision’s help so they can have this dignified client service."
For Ramicah, access to clean water carries a personal blessing, as well. Today her own kids can stay in town with her more frequently, knowing they have the resources they need to stay healthy.
Watch Ramicah tell the full story in her own words.
Mothers and babies deserve access to clean water in health facilities 
Across Ghana, many people experience the same challenges that Ramicah and Mabel’s communities have faced. These two women represent the everyday heroes serving others with courage and faith despite daunting conditions. Their stories remind us of the millions of people still waiting for clean water — millions of people Jesus knows by name and deeply loves.
With your help and God’s grace, we’re committed, by 2030, to upgrade 3,000 health facilities globally with clean water, serving an estimated 30 million people.
Every $1 you give to the Global Health Fund has the impact of $4.50, thanks to the support of other faithful partners!
