DRC Clean Water Project

Dear Friends,

I’ve been a part of a successful program bringing clean water to thousands of people. Would you be willing to help me extend the program to thousands more?

I worked as an ObGyn at Nyankunde Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 2015-2018. The Sugimotos worked there in the 90s.  I became involved through Samaritan’s Purse after a civil war decimated the hospital facility and scattered the people. They were in the midst of rebuilding when I arrived. My main mission was teaching Congolese interns the basics of obstetrics, how to perform c-sections and discipling them as Christian physicians. For those four years, I worked with 16 young physicians. 

During two of those years, we lacked running water in our department. We found out after many tries that there was a broken water pipe draining into an old septic tank. We would often have to bring in water from the local well or other departments, we would scrape by with a trickle coming through the faucet when things were too busy to bring in water. In a land of amniotic fluid, post-partum hemorrhages and gynecology, this was a major source of concern and stress because of the possibility of diseases and infestation.

Fast forward eight years later. One of the young physicians I trained named Jules Upenjirwoth returned to his rural home area, an area plagued with unrest, violence, lack of resources, malnutrition, and the literal pneumonic plague at times.  He returned to help improve the health care for thousands of people despite the challenges.  As he worked towards more immediate changes, we began talking about how to address the lack of clean and running water in an area so poor.

Over the last five years, I have been working with Jules as he provides running water for the rural health clinics and surrounding village through private donations and, more recently, a matching gift from the Southwestern Foundation in 2022. So far, we have completed three different water systems. Each well project cost $10,000. We have asked that the local community raise 10% of this funding through money, workers, or supplies. This has shown buy-in and follow-up from the church and community. These projects have been completed on budget in between the times of civil war and Covid. It has been fundamental to improving the health care of those communities.

To meet this need we are blessed to have received a Matching Gift Grant from Southwestern Medical Clinic Foundation, www.swmcf.org in the amount of $5,000 for this year. This means that for every $1 donated, Southwestern Medical Clinic Foundation will match with an equal amount up to $5,000 with the potential of future matching gifts to help build the remaining six water systems.

 (Donation Information Below)

Would you consider giving? Pray about it. You know that your gift is life changing and a testament to the body of believers helping those in need, even when you don’t know them personally.

Thank you for coming alongside us to meet these urgent clean water needs for the people of the DRC!

How to Donate