Hope flows through clean water. Today, billions of people around the world are plagued by a lack of access to clean water systems, causing disease and even death. However, the kindness of friends like you is changing that. Students in developing countries, disaster survivors across the United States, and those in rural communities who often feel forgotten are all having their concerns washed away through wells, water filters, and bottled water provided by Convoy of Hope.

Wells 

According to UNICEF, one in four primary schools around the world have no drinking water service. Students are often forced to decide between drinking from unsafe sources or going thirsty. Convoy of Hope is giving students the answer by providing clean water.

Ngaramtoni Primary School’s nearly 1,400 students had to rely on water from a nearby private school. It helped, but it wasn’t enough to meet students’ needs.

On December 7, 2018, a drilling rig struck water at a depth of 394 feet. As water rose up, the drilling company used compressed air to clean out the borehole, and the volume of water that came out was miraculous. It came in torrents, knocking down plants and collecting in a muddy pool before draining out to a nearby stream. The school teachers and Convoy staff were overjoyed. “Now we can do so much more,” the head teacher said.

Water Filters

When hurricanes, typhoons, and similar storms strike, the biggest problem isn’t a lack of water, but too much of it. Unsanitary flood water contaminates clean water sources — leaving people without water to drink, clean, or cook with. Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services team has travelled all over the world bringing water filtration systems to those who need them.

Cyclone Idai slammed into southeast Africa last week. Idai left thousands of square miles of land completely underwater, and clean water is running out fast. Convoy of Hope already has a team in Malawi and another is en route to Mozambique where they will distribute relief supplies, including more than 300 water filters, to the communities affected by this disaster.

These water filtration systems are much larger than the ones you may find in your water bottle or on your sink faucet. They can be shared amongst several families and if kept clean they can last for years to come.

Bottled Water

Here in the U.S., disasters can compromise and even wipe out local water systems, too — leaving families without clean water for days or months at a time.

Families across the Midwest are currently dealing with some of the most severe flooding they’ve seen in decades. Nebraska farms are underwater, homes in Illinois have been destroyed, and several communities no longer have access to clean water as their water system has been compromised. Convoy of Hope has already delivered more than 250,000 pounds of bottled water to communities in need.

When the Camp Fire burned through the city of Paradise, California, it not only left thousands of homes and businesses burned, but it left an entire city without access to clean water. Now, almost five months since the fire, Convoy of Hope continues to send two truck loads of water to Paradise every week. This provides one of the main water sources for the city as families work to rebuild their lives.

Glenn and Elnora were huddled in small closet of their home as Hurricane Michael ripped off part of their roof and left their bedroom completely exposed. Trees fell everywhere and rain poured into their home as the storm drew on.

As the eye passed over their area, things calmed down. Glenn and Elnora ran to their car, hoping to make it to their church down the road before the second half of the storm struck. As they got in their car, a huge gust of wind blew them into a ditch in front of their house. Rain began pouring into the vehicle, but they were scared to get out of the car as power lines came down and the storm resurged.

The couple rode out the second half of the storm from their car, but remained safe. However, the church they had planned to go to was completely destroyed.

“I’ve been here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Glenn says. “Not this strong of a hurricane. We went through Opal, we went through the rest of them — they’re not like this. Would I stay again? No.”

We Won’t Give Up

The couple is taking recovery one day at a time. They remain without power, water or cell service — unable to get ahold of their kids to make sure they’re okay. However, they remain hopeful, with some supplies from Convoy of Hope and their community coming together to lift each other up.

“We’ll start afresh,” says Glenn. “We never have given up, so we won’t give up now.”

Find out how you can support Hurricane Michael survivors through Convoy of Hope at convoy.org/michael.

Keys for first completely rebuilt home in Puerto Rico presented to homeowner.

Joany has lived through many hurricanes, but Maria was one of the worst — destroying many homes in the Puerto Rican village of Villa Esperanza, including Joany’s. From a friend’s home in another village, Joany could see everything being blown away at home.

“It was a really crazy experience, because coming back and not having anything and seeing everything destroyed, you feel like you have nothing else to hold onto,” Joany says.

Convoy of Hope arrived in Puerto Rico just days after Hurricane Maria struck the island and began distributing relief supplies to families in need. As the response transitioned from meeting immediate needs to longterm relief, Convoy began helping repair and rebuild homes destroyed by the storm.

Groups from all over the U.S. came to Puerto Rico in partnership with Convoy as Field Teams. The teams helped in the rebuilding houses around Villa Esperanza — from laying the foundation to the final coat of paint.

Joany’s house was the first of many to be completed in that area. As the Convoy team handed Joany the keys to her new home she was overcome with happiness.

“I started to cry,” says Joany of the moment she received the keys to her new home. “But I was crying happy tears, because I have a house.”

The continued support of people like you makes these moments of hope possible. For Joany and many others in Puerto Rico, home is where the hope is.

On August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast. Within hours of storm making landfall, Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services team was on the ground distributing emergency supplies like food, water and hygiene items to survivors.

In an unprecedented manner, the storm lingered over Texas dropping trillions of gallons of water. According to officials with the state of Texas, around 800,000 homes were affected.

In the months following the hurricane, Convoy of Hope led volunteer teams in debris removal operations for homes that had been flooded. Currently, Convoy of Hope has transitioned into delivering building supplies to churches and long-term recovery groups. These organizations then distribute the supplies to affected families.

Jessie Mouton

One family affected by the storm was Jessie Mouton’s. Jessie, her husband and their two young sons — ages five and 18 months — live in Winnie, Texas. They had been in their new home less than a year before Hurricane Harvey hit.

“New baby, new house, flood — that was the timeline” Mouton says.

The family left their home on August 26, as they evacuated from the storm. Little did they know, they would not be able move back in until December 8.

The Mouton’s home flooded with more than 12 inches of water, forcing them to remove all of the drywall in their home. They estimate they lost about 75% of their belongings —including furniture, appliances and pictures.

While their home was being restored, the Mouton’s alternated between staying with family members, in a hotel and in a camper.

Mouton describes this process as being very confusing for her five-year-old son. She remembers him being very sad the first time he saw their home, saying it was “broken”. She agreed it was broken, but promised him they would put it back together.

With the help of their local church, the Mouton’s were able to receive the drywall they needed from Convoy of Hope. Mouton describes receiving the drywall as very “unexpected and overwhelming”.

As things are starting to get back to normal for the Mouton family, they recognize there is still work to do, saying they’re “all in until it’s all done”.

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s response to Hurricane Harvey here!

Matilda and her son, Junior, live in the beautiful country of Tanzania. Each morning, Matilda opens up her shop, confidently expecting another successful day of business. But, not too long ago, life looked very different for Matilda and Junior.

Despite working long hours making and selling donuts, oftentimes Matilda would not earn enough income to provide for Junior or herself … forcing both of them to go to bed hungry. Junior watched his mom struggle, and with wisdom beyond his years, he would encourage her that the next day would be better.

After Junior enrolled in a school benefiting from Convoy of Hope’s feeding program, Matilda enrolled in the Women’s Empowerment program. From then on, everything changed!

Now, Matilda sells many different items in her shop! She makes enough money for today and has also learned how to budget to save for the future.

Because of friends like you, women like Matilda — and their children — are receiving opportunities through Convoy of Hope that enable them to live better lives.

Thank you for helping change her story.

Click here to help us empower more women like Matilda.