For the people of Mkinga, Tanzania, collecting the day’s water used to come at a high cost. Women and children spent about three hours walking to the water source, filling their containers with dirty water, and journeying home. Then, to make the water as clean as they could, families spent their limited money on fuel to boil the water. Since fuel is an expensive resource in Mkinga, parents were often forced to choose between buying fuel and paying for other necessities, like school fees.

And those sacrifices weren’t enough. Community members still suffered from waterborne diseases, contracting skin rashes and intestinal illnesses that made them miss school or work. Yet this holiday season, they are rejoicing.

Friends like you funded a safe water treatment system in Mkinga. And now, its more than 4,500 community members have convenient access to safe water — along with more time, money, and opportunity as a result.

Your gift, through the 2018 Water Mission Christmas Catalog, can help ensure that families, like those in Mkinga, will experience joy with safe water flowing for generations to come.