Water has no enemy is a common Southern Nigerian saying. Songs have even been written about this common proverb. The proverb is used to mean that, there is nobody who can be enemies with something as useful as water. Children have even been named after water because that is how important of a commodity it is.  

It is a common saying that water is life. Water is necessary for the operation of all biochemical activities that take place in plants, animals, our environment, etc. Since it is a crucial part of every biological function, it is necessary for life to survive on Earth. Without the presence of water, we are unable to imagine our life. What would we eat? How would we do our dishes? Water is essential in daily house chores, ensuring cleanliness. Water is essential for industrialization, agriculture, and even for healthcare.  

It is evident from the bible that God considers that which is physically clean, close to purity. He shows us that he loves cleanliness, and we shall have a look at a few examples, where God showed his value for physical cleanliness. Examples were people washed, according to his will, to symbolize purity. They explain another commonly known phrase,  cleanliness is next to Godliness. 

Leviticus 15:4-27, In this verse, Christians were given strict instructions about bathing and washing clothes. These were instructions that God was ginning the Israelites, to ensure that they were clean, they were ready for the Passover feast. The Israelites needed to be pure for this. 

Jesus washed the disciples’ feet in John 13:1-5 in the new testament. After a long walk, the disciples’ feet were dirty and dusty. Jesus took water and washed their feet. As much as we see Jesus being a humble servant in this scenario, we also see that for the disciples to participate in the last supper, they needed to be clean. Spiritual cleanliness was symbolized by physical cleanliness. 

We as Christians are therefore required by God to be clean. To wash up and wash our clothes. Not only physically, but spiritually too. 

Unfortunately, clean water is not an advantage everyone has. Water is a precious resource and a rare commodity for many people in Africa. Today, many people, especially the impoverished, experience “water poverty” due to water scarcity. Africa is particularly affected by water poverty because substantial portions of the population there lack access to clean drinking water or are subject to droughts that reduce agricultural output. While some nations have abundant water resources, others have severe water shortages. The poor’s access to high-quality water is one very critical issue.

Waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid as well as water-washed diseases such as trachoma, are a major health concern in the area. Children who should be going to school are forced to go for long distances to help their families get water for household use. Mothers have been forced to walk for kilometers, in some areas just to get this commodity for their households. Animals end up dying because of lack of drinking water. Even the desert ship, that is the camel, that is biologically adapted to survive in a desert environment is not able to survive.

It is for this reason that Open Arms Outreach, has one of its pillars being the provision of water. We aim to provide clean water to communities with borehole units, water tanks, and power generators. We aim to bring this commodity closer to the people, we aim to help communities store water and we aim to make it easier for other people.  We aim to indirectly support the health of the population, support industrialization, to support agriculture.

Join hands with us, in this noble mission to provide water to the communities that experience water poverty. Together, we can do more! Together we can do better! Let us give water to those who need it.