Maria used to spend most of her life focused on one thing—getting water.

She says, “We used to walk two hours to get where the water was.”

Even then, it was salty, like drinking ocean water, which has its own health risks. But it was the best Maria, or anyone in her small village of Ikurungu in Kenya, could find.

By the time she got home, it was dark. She had no time to do farm work or keep up with housework. Every night she would cook dinner for her family in the pitch-black darkness. Exhausted from working so late at night, Maria would then wake up early the next day and make the long trek for water again. It was exhausting and it felt hopeless.

Her story is all too common.

All around the world, over 2 billion people don’t have access to clean water. But now, thanks to World Renew and our local partners, Maria’s village has a water tower with a solar pump, giving Maria and her neighbors easy access to a clean water source.

“We are so thankful to God because now we have water, and that water is clean and not salty. It has been a great help to a lot of people, including old ladies—they are happy because the water is close to them,” Maria says.

For Maria and her community, clean water has renewed their hope and improved their health. By providing access to clean and safe water through World Renew, you will invest in a community and enable more people—just like Maria—to thrive.