Jose Tito Gets Clean Water

Around the world, many families are forced to drink unsafe water as their only affordable option. Compassion’s water wells are changing that. Listen as 10-year-old Jose Tito tells the story of how he and his family received clean water through his Compassion center:

“I live in a desert on the shore of the ocean [La Guajira, Colombia.] My family and I are Wayuu [an indigenous people group in Colombia], and we live in small communities where we all are family. I have eight brothers and sisters; we live with my mother and father. My parents are old and have no jobs. My older sister, Iris, is who provides the food for us… Since I can remember, we have had to look for water, as we don’t have access to water in our communities. My sister says that she only has enough money to buy food, so buying water at the grocery store is not possible.

“For drinking, we prefer to take the water from the well. To get there, we must walk one hour under the sun and then one hour to go back. At the well, we must pay the owner with a small amount of coffee or sugar to allow us to get water. The water tastes a little salty, but my sister says it is better than the one from the Jagüey.

“The Jagüey is not like a well, it is more like a pond. Kids like me swim there, and mothers do laundry there, and the soap goes into the water. I think that is why my mother and sister do not like when we have to drink water from there. But, between being thirsty or drinking that water, people prefer to drink that… Either way, the water always makes us feel sick with stomachaches and diarrhea.

“I go to a Compassion center… The center knew about our need for water, which got worse when people had to stop working and going out because of COVID. Then, one day, Pastor Emis came home to tell my mom the center would bring us a water tank to have water in our community. So my family and more than other 100 families from the center will have what they call ‘drinkable water.’

“Days later, the center brought a huge black tank that was filled with water. The tank water’s flavor was different. It tasted nice, and it didn’t taste salty. I liked it! Since we have a water tank in our community, we drink delicious water, and my stomach no longer hurts me. My siblings and I are no longer sick, and when we are thirsty, we know there is water for us at home. We don't want to drink anything different from clean water! As my mother said, our lives are changing because of this tank and this water. May God bless the people who gave this blessing to us.”

Give families like Jose Tito’s the gift of clean water through the Compassion Gift Catalog.

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