Give the Gift of Water to Nigerian Children this Christmas Season

This past year, much like the previous one, has brought incredible challenges and difficulties. Staying healthy remains the biggest concern for many of us. For the poor men, women, and children in our missions, it remains among their biggest concerns as well. But thanks to your kindness and caring, our work and outreach among those in need continues. Your generosity throughout the past year has enabled us to provide food, water, clothing, medical care, education, shelter, and pastoral care to thousands. For all that you do for others, thank you!

By the time you receive this letter, Christians around the world may be observing the season of Advent — a time of preparing our hearts for the celebration of Christmas. Some will spend extra time at church services or make small sacrifices. Others may collect alms to be given to the poor. Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now St. Teresa) made a point of referring to the time before Christmas as a great opportunity to demonstrate our love of God by caring for those in need.

Not long ago, I received a letter from Fr. John Alayande, a missionary priest working in Oyo District in Nigeria, West Africa. In sharing his letter with you, I am hoping that you might consider helping the people in his mission with their urgent need for water!

“This is an extremely poor area,” Fr. John writes. “Even though these families are as generous as their means allow, our average Sunday collection totals only about $13.90. It breaks my heart to see such poverty. There are no social amenities to make life bearable, no good roads to the area, and electricity may be unavailable for weeks or months at a time. The biggest need they have, though, is a source of clean water.”

“The wells around here are only useful during the rainy season — and even then the water may not be safe to drink, due to the risk of contamination from animal waste. People, including the children, walk long distances to find water to drink. It is dehumanizing to see that people have to struggle so much to get water for their survival.”

“Our hope,” Fr. John concludes, “is to drill a borehole well that will provide a reliable source of clean drinking water for the entire community. To accomplish this, we will need to hire a company to do the drilling as well as purchase a pump, pipes, and storage tanks. We are praying that you can help us!”

As we approach the Christmas season, I hope you will consider reaching out to help those in need. You could start by ensuring that your own community provides free water testing to ensure that the water in your neighborhood is free from lead and other toxins. You could also make sure that your local food pantry has bottles of drinking water for those in need.

I also hope that you will send a donation to help those in Fr. John’s mission in Nigeria be able to drill a well to get the drinking water they desperately need. While we are hoping to raise at least $40,000 for this and our other projects, please know that any amount you can send will help us continue our work among the poor. For all that you continue to do, thank you so very much.

 

Your Missionary Friend,

Denis P. Pringle
Director of Development