Ailana is a mother who knows the true cost of unclean water.
She and her husband George live in a village on Santo Island, Vanuatu. They have a young 8 year old boy FuiFui, and a 5 year old girl, Herenui. Ailana and George once had two more children, but sadly both of them died when they were young due to waterborne diseases.
Every day, Ailana makes the journey to get water for her family. The water source their village relies on is a stream in a gully two kilometres away. Often she will make this journey three times a day to have enough water for her family and their crops.
Both FuiFui and Herenui often suffer from Dysentery, a disease caused by contaminated water or food. Dysentery causes severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and often a fever. The children get so sick they will often miss days of school at a time. Unfortunately the treatment requires fluid intake to rehydrate. Ailana and George worry the water they give their children through the illness, makes things worse. Ailana and George sit and nurse their children hoping they will return to health, all the while reliving the terror of remembering their two other children who died in the same way.
To break the cycle of sickness, Ailana’s family needs clean water.
ADRA has been bringing clean water to villages in Vanuatu for over a decade now, and during that time we have been able to help thousands of people. We have seen infant mortality rates drop and child literacy rise as a result.
Right now, we are embarking on a new project reaching thousands more people. Over the two coming years we will develop clean water sources for dozens of villages, creating positive futures for thousands of families, helping them to thrive.
If you would like to help change the future for people just like Ailana and George, you can donate now and bring good, clean, water to others.