Water for All sent its first deployment team into Ukraine to bring life-saving water filters directly to people suffering from the water crisis brought on by war.
Clean Water for Thousands of Ukrainians
Our Water for All deployment team has just returned from its first trip to Ukraine and Poland! Thanks to YOUR support, we were able to provide clean water for thousands of Ukrainian people. With help from our friends at Young Life and YWAM, we were able to cross the border from Poland into Ukraine, carrying enough Vivoblu water filters to provide clean water for more than 6000 people. We visited multiple areas in Ukraine, providing filters to a teen pregnancy center, a refugee camp, and a gypsy settlement. We also met with teams of local Ukrainians--including civilians who now are having to defend their homes without access to safe drinking water--who we trained to take hundreds more of our filters farther into areas ravaged by war. We met amazing people along the way and established great relationships that will help us to continue the distribution of water filters in the future. We also learned a lot about how to help and what is needed going forward.
The Water Crisis is Worsening Every Day
First, we learned that the water crisis is far more urgent, severe and widespread than we previously understood. We knew beforehand about areas destroyed by war, which lacked power and water. But we met many people who told us it’s not only the millions living in these devastated urban areas that have no water, but also millions of others who are either refugees within their own country (living in makeshift camps near the borders) or who live in rural areas where water supplies have been cut off or contaminated. We heard many stories of opposing forces poisoning wells or dumping bodies into them to make them undrinkable. The scale of this tragedy and the water crisis it has created is hard to overstate.
What’s more, when we visited the border crossings between Poland and Ukraine, we discovered yet another trend driving additional needs. Hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of Ukrainians—mostly women and children— who previously fled to Poland and other surrounding countries when the war began are now returning in droves to Ukraine despite the ongoing war.
We kept hearing the same reasons from those we interviewed: these women and children have spent months living apart from their husbands and fathers (who are not allowed to leave Ukraine), and many have depleted their resources living in foreign countries. Now they are making the difficult decision to reunite their families despite the imminent dangers of war. These people are returning to those same areas already mentioned which have no access to safe drinking water!
Rave Reviews for our Filters & Rugged Water Bladder Backpacks
Last, we learned that the Vivoblu water filters--and the water bladder carrying bags that Vivoblu designed for Ukraine--are an ideal solution in the current environment. The durable, food-grade water bladder bag proved to be easily understood and universally accepted by everyone we met.
They loved how easy it was to install the filter, and how they could either wear it on their back when they needed mobility or hang it in place for a more permanent solution. This filter/bag kit will provide enough water to serve 10-20 people every day, and can last for many years! We heard over and over that this kit is exactly what Ukrainians need to survive this water crisis now and in the future as they rebuild their country.
Help Bring More Water Filters to Ukraine!
Now, we need your help to get these life-saving filters to as many more Ukrainians as possible. The need is urgent and huge. Please SHARE this letter with anyone who you feel could be a part of this cause. It’s going to take a lot of support to help the millions of Ukrainians who still—and will—need access to clean water over the coming months. We’ve laid all the groundwork, and we’re ready to bring water and the love of Jesus Christ to many more. Thank you for your partnership in this mission!