A Community-Driven Project: Safe Water in Huta Rihit, Indonesia
Around the world, families live without access to safe water, rendering daily activities almost impossible. Wantri, a mother of three, manages her family’s farm in Huta Rihit, Indonesia, where she grows rice, bananas, coffee, chili, and vanilla.
For any parent, finding a balance between work and home is difficult. But for many years, Wantri also had to worry about having adequate water for her young sons and daughter.
She would walk 40 minutes to reach the nearest water source, an open pond on her farmland. During the dry season, days passed without rain and the pond dried up. The cultural expectation in Huta Rihit is that land can belong to someone, but water on that land belongs to everyone. So during the dry season, people crowded the few farms where ponds still had a little water remaining. They would wait in long lines for their turn to wait some more—this time for the groundwater to pool.
The water source was not enough. We had to dig in the ground [to let the water fill]. The water was murky, but we had to use it. I was very sad because I did not want to use that water, but I had to use it because it was the only option.
Wantri used to worry often about having enough water for her three children. She had to walk far to a murky pond to collect water every day.
Then, thanks to generous support from partners like you, Water Mission proposed a solution for the community—a solar-powered safe water system that would treat and pump water from far down the mountain and pipe it up to homes. When Wantri first heard the idea, she could not fathom how this project would work.
I thought, this cannot happen. As a human, I thought this was impossible—to bring water from down to up, because usually it comes from uphill to down. But—praise Jesus!—the Lord sent clever people at Water Mission to make this happen.
When Water Mission started working in Huta Rihit, the residents immediately got involved, eager to help bring safe water to their community.
The residents of Huta Rihit became passionate about bringing safe water to their community. They expedited the project by working tirelessly to complete trenching faster than our teams expected, with everyone, young and old, pitching in. Even those who couldn’t physically dig participated however they could. For example, an elderly resident said she brought tea for those digging.
Why did my community work together? Because we felt thirsty. We wanted to make the dream come true and make the miracle happen in our community. So, we used all our effort and time to make the water flow in [Huta Rihit].
Thanks to the Lord’s provision, your generosity, and the community’s hard work, Water Mission completed a safe water project in Huta Rihit in August 2024, serving all 263 residents. Water is sourced from a spring at the bottom of the mountain, pumped with solar power from 18 solar panels, treated with filtration and chlorination, and distributed through household connections.
Not only does Wantri now have safe water, but the water is piped directly to her home—and every home in the community. As Water Mission works toward ensuring that all people have access to sustainable safe water and sanitation, we are increasingly prioritizing important household connections like these.
The community was so overjoyed about the project that they pitched in to buy a buffalo for the celebration meal, the highest honor in their culture. Residents all contributed toward the buffalo’s purchase. Even family members who have moved away, knowing the project deserved such honors, sent money home to help fund this special gift so that the community could celebrate the gift of safe water.
Wantri no longer has to worry about having enough water for her family. She and her husband can spend more time working together on their farm. Her children now drink safe water and have enough water to wash their hands and practice healthy hygiene.
Now [my children] can bathe at home. Every time I need water, I just go to the tap and turn on the tap. When I need it, I get it.
Wantri has hope that her children will be healthy enough to achieve their dreams. She says, “I hope…also that all the kids [in Huta Rihit] can protect the project, because this is a blessing from God.”
Thank you for bringing hope to families in Indonesia and around the world with the gift of safe water.
Yet, more families like Wantri’s still lack access to this essential resource. By giving today, you can help provide families with safe water, opening the doors for them to also experience unity in their communities and homes.
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