How Access to Clean Water Transforms Entire Communities

In rural villages, access to clean water does more than quench thirst — it transforms health, education, and economic opportunities for the entire community. At Set Free, we’ve witnessed firsthand across India and Africa, how clean water opens doors for learning, safety, and hope, while also serving as a powerful entry point for sharing the Gospel.

3 Key Benefits of Providing Access to Clean Water

1. Improved Health: Clean Water Saves Lives

Contaminated water is a thief. It steals health, time, and hope. In many parts of India and Africa, families rely on ponds, rivers, or swamps filled with bacteria and parasites. Children grow weak from preventable diseases, and parents lose precious workdays caring for the sick.

• 80% of all illness in the developing world is linked to water-borne diseases.
• 6 to 8 million people die every year from preventable, water-related illnesses — most of them children.
• 840,000 people die annually from diarrhea alone.
• Water-borne diseases kill more children under five than malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS combined.

Contaminated water spreads illnesses like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery—diseases that are completely preventable when clean water is available.

In some villages where Set Free has drilled wells, one in three children used to die before nine months of age from water-related illnesses. A deep, reliable well can save 10 to 20 lives every year in a single community.

2. Better Education: Clean Water Provides More Time to Learn

Before a village receives a clean water well, most children—especially girls—spend hours each day fetching water. School becomes a distant dream. But when a clean water source is nearby, children return to the classroom, attendance rates soar, and the cycle of poverty begins to break. Access to clean water near home means:

• Children spend more time in class
• Girls have more time for study, play, and personal development
• Schools can implement proper hygiene programs

3. Greater Economic Opportunities: Water Creates Growth

When families have clean water at home, adults have more time for work, small businesses, and farming. Healthy children mean fewer days missed from school, which also improves long-term economic outcomes for the entire community.

With fewer sick days and hours freed from water collection, families can work, start businesses, and build stronger futures. In communities where women once spent half their day collecting water, they now have time to tend small farms, sell produce, or craft goods to earn income.

Learn more about the benefits of clean water

Real Stories: The Impact of Access to Clean Water

Breaking Barriers in an Untouchable Village, India

“In my village, we are forbidden from using the well in the neighboring village because they are of a higher caste. The women and children trek miles to a swamp to gather water, and our children cannot go to school because it takes hours each day. The men work in the tobacco fields, but the dirty water keeps them sick, unable to provide for their families.”

When Set Free’s drill team first arrived, teens Raga and Moham had already dropped out of school to fetch water. They were skeptical, saying, “We don’t believe a God will answer our prayers.” The drill team, along with local pastor Jahar, reassured the villagers that this project was more than just infrastructure — it was a gift of love from God.

Over the next several days, a 680-foot deep well was drilled with an electric pump. Villagers watched in awe as water gushed from the ground for the first time in generations. While drilling, the team shared the Gospel, explaining that this water was a symbol of the Living Water of Christ.

The impact was immediate:

• Fathers returned to work and regained their dignity and health.
• Mothers no longer risked long journeys alone to collect water, increasing safety.
• Children could attend school consistently, reclaiming lost years of education.
• Hundreds came to know the unconditional love of Jesus through Pastor Jahar, who stayed behind to plant a church for future generations.

Raga later approached Pastor Jahar and said, “Any God that teaches His followers to love and serve like you all have is worth following.” The well not only transformed the village physically but spiritually as well, opening doors that had been closed for generations.

A Mother’s Relief: Safety, Health, and Opportunity

“I watched my two daughters carry heavy water jugs each day, shrinking under the weight. Each journey left me in fear, wondering if I would ever see them return home safely. We had no time for education or dreams — our lives were consumed by the struggle to survive.”

One day, the village noticed men assessing land for clean water. Skeptical at first, the mother paid little attention, but two weeks later, drilling machines arrived, along with a man holding a Holy Bible. He explained, “God brought us here to show His love to you. This is a gift from Him, not from us.”

When water finally flowed from the new well, the emotional impact was overwhelming:

• Her daughters could now attend school daily, without fear or delay.
• Her husband could work without being debilitated by water-borne illness.
• Her family’s health improved dramatically, with reduced sickness from contaminated water.

Beyond the practical benefits, the village felt the spiritual transformation. Families who had never heard of Christ now experienced selfless love and hope, seeing God’s provision in both tangible and eternal ways. The well became a gathering point for the community, a place where children learned, mothers shared stories, and neighbors celebrated life together.

Sierra Leone: Kasobo Village — Bringing Physical and Spiritual Life

In Sierra Leone, our team visited Kasobo, a remote village home to the Susu people—one of the least-reached groups in the world. According to The Joshua Project, only 0.06% of the Susu identify as Christian. Before Set Free’s intervention, the villagers had no safe water source, forcing children to spend hours daily collecting water that often made them sick, and limiting the community’s opportunities for growth.

When Set Free partnered with local pastor Alpha Kargbo to drill a well, the entire village watched as machinery broke through the earth. For many, it was the first time they had ever seen clean, flowing water. Beside the well, a new church was planted, symbolizing both physical renewal and spiritual hope.

The well and church became central to village life:

• Health improved immediately as water-borne diseases decreased.
• Children could attend school regularly without exhaustion or illness from fetching water.
• Families now had time to pursue trades, agriculture, and other work, improving economic stability.
• The church became a hub for spiritual growth, community gatherings, and sharing the message of Jesus.

Pastor Kargbo described the impact: “This well is more than water. It is a lifeline — it brings hope, education, and faith to a community that had none before.” For Kasobo, the ripple effect of clean water will be felt for generations, showing how physical provision can lead to lasting spiritual transformation.

Set Free Water Mission Milestones

We started drilling wells in Liberia, West Africa in 2002. Over the course of more than two decades, Set Free has seen incredible growth in water access and ministry impact in recent years:

• 2023 – Africa Milestones:
  • Partnership with The Last Well leads to 950 wells completed in Liberia.
  • Equipment donated to CRCA, enabling local pastor partners to continue ministry independently.
  • New partnership formed in Sierra Leone with Pastor Alpha Kargbo, expanding water access.
• 2025 – New Ground Broken:
  • Over 600 wells completed in Sierra Leone, with a robust maintenance and repair program implemented.
  • Plans underway to reach more villages in 2026 and beyond.
• 2025 – India:
  • Marks the 1,000th well drilled in India.

Getting Kids Involved in Water Missions

We believe kids can make a difference in the water crisis. In 2018, we launched Crowdsourcing Kids, allowing children to sell handmade elephants to provide clean water to those who desperately need it. When 50 kids each sell 10 elephants handmade by young ladies rescued from slavery, their combined efforts raise enough money to fully fund a well drilling project. The Crowdsourcing Kids initiative has provided clean water to 28,017 people since 2018. We are currently working on funding our 9^th kid-powered well, bringing clean water to even more people around the world. Consider getting your child involved in this life-changing work.

Get your Crowdsourcing Kids Fundraising Kit

Learn more about teaching your kids about the power of giving

Why Your Support Matters

Clean water transforms communities, protects children, and frees mothers and fathers to build a better future. Each well drilled by Set Free is designed to last 25–100 years, ensuring long-term impact for villages and families.

Through your gifts, we can continue providing:

• Safe, reliable water for families in desperate need.
• Healthier communities free from deadly water-borne diseases.
• Educational opportunities for children who can now attend school.
• Local pastors and ministry partners opportunities to share the Gospel and build lasting churches.

Your support helps bring the true Water of Life — both physically and spiritually — to communities around the world.

How You Can Offer Water Crisis Solutions

Your partnership makes this transformation possible. Every donation to Set Free helps provide clean water, hygiene education, and the hope of Jesus to families in desperate need.

Together, we can continue bringing physical and spiritual freedom to the world’s most vulnerable communities. Some ideas to consider:

• Sponsoring a well costs $10,000 and can be done in honor of a late loved one, a special anniversary, or as a collective gift from your community group, Bible study or workplace.
• One special donor committed to drilling a well in honor of each of his grandchildren. He started with his oldest grandchild and is working his way down, providing each child with a plaque to remind them of this special gift.
• Instead of jewelry or a vacation, one couple decided to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary by sponsoring a well.

There aren’t many ways to spend $10,000 that offer a more lasting and life-changing impact than sponsoring a well. Make this special gift now.