For 15-year-old Emeline’s community in Rwanda, access to water meant a seven kilometre walk to the closest lake.

"I had to wake up around five o’clock in the morning. The first thing I had to do before I went to school was to fetch water so that Mother can have water to cook and do other chores at home," she says.

The lake water was used for washing and agriculture, meaning it was frequently dirty and unsafe to drink. When children drink contaminated water, they risk severe illness and even death from water-borne diseases.

“We would fall sick from diarrhea and typhoid because of the unclean water. Water is life, and without it, we can’t live," says Emeline.

Compassion’s local church partner in the community faced the same challenges, and they knew action had to be taken to help their community. Thanks to the generosity of Compassion supporters through Critical Needs, a safe water system was built at the local church.

"When the centre staff told us about the construction of the underground rainwater tank, we didn’t believe it would happen until we saw people constructing the water system," she says.

Six months later, in January 2021, the project was finished. "Now we have water a few metres from our houses!” says Emeline. “I’m grateful to my sponsor and the donors of this water tank for loving us and being thoughtful about our livelihood. I can now concentrate more in class without dreading going back to fetch water.”