Family-Oriented Solutions: Bringing Safe, Clean Water to Families in Indonesia
Delti looks at the photo of her family and smiles. To her left is her husband Jemri, and next to him is their 9-year-old daughter Dian. On her lap sits their son Jose, who’s five.
As she turns to look at her family sitting beside her, she is grateful they are all healthy and thriving.
It has not always been this way.
Delti and Jemri live in Oenoni 1, Indonesia, with their two children, Dian and Jose.
When Delti and Jemri’s daughter Dian was 3 months old, she became extremely sick. According to doctors, Dian’s illness was water-related.
My child, Dian, had to be hospitalized when she was 3 months old… After we got back from the hospital, I felt more protective of my child…. I was sad, but because it was the only water source that we had, I didn't have any choice or option for another water source for healthy water.
Delti and her family live in Oenoni 1, a rural community in Indonesia. Illness in children like Dian was common in Oenoni 1, as they were constantly drinking and bathing in unsafe water.
The closest water sources to the community were far away and down dangerous, slippery paths. Water was scarce, especially in the dry season.
So many people have to wait….and the water comes out only a little at a time. There are many buckets lined up.
For cleaner water, doctors advised Delti and Jemri to let the sediment in their water settle to the bottom before boiling it, rather than boiling right after collecting. This still did not solve the family’s root problem of not having reliable, safe water to drink.
Water impacts every aspect of family life, including
- Time. Mothers and children must walk long distances for water, cutting back on valuable work or school hours.
- Health. Dirty, unsafe water makes people sick. Although it impacts adults and children alike, kids under 5 years old are especially vulnerable to water-related illnesses.
- Education. When children get sick from water-related illness or spend hours walking for water, they miss school.
- Finances. Parents struggle to provide financially when they’re spending money on medical bills and medicine to treat water-related illnesses.
- Relationships. When parents spend hours walking for water instead of caring for their children or are stressed about sickness, tensions are high in the home.
When the support and generosity of people like you came into the picture, Delti’s family was transformed.
Years ago, Water Mission completed a safe water project in a neighboring community. When the residents of Oenoni 1 saw how well that project still functioned years later, they requested the same in their community.
In September 2025, we completed both phases of the solar-powered safe water project in Oenoni 1. Now, the project serves more than 1,400 people with safe, clean water piped directly to their homes.
The safe water project in Oenoni 1 pipes safe, clean water to 376 households.
Now, anytime Delti needs water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, or handwashing, she only needs to walk a few paces to turn on the tap at her home.
Having on-premises water means that Delti doesn’t have to spend hours walking and waiting for water—she can instead use that time to work and be with her family. She and her husband also no longer worry about the water making Dian and Jose sick.
I feel happy because our prayers were answered. This is a blessing that we get, because it is a big struggle for us, especially me who really needs water at all times because I am a mother.
Delti is grateful that her children, including 5-year-old Jose, have safe water to drink.
The theme of this year’s International Day of Families is “Families, Inequality, and Child Wellbeing.” The global water crisis shapes family life and perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Water Mission aims to design and implement sustainable, family-oriented solutions that improve the quality of life for all members of the family.
The support of friends like you made it possible for Delti and her family to have safe, clean water. By giving today, you can help more families around the world experience lasting transformation.
I am grateful that Water Mission has brought water closer to us. Thank you very much. You have blessed me and my community. I will be praying for you who have given, that God will be blessing you.
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