Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – In mid-2024, the Community Development Ministry completed two projects bringing clean water for Bru-Vân Kiều villages in Quảng Trị: a well with a pump and storage tank for 76 households in village T., and a 2,000-meter gravity-fed water system for 11 households and a school in village A.
See photos: photos of the clean water projects on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
Plastic Jugs Every Morning
Every morning in the remote Bru-Vân Kiều villages, a familiar sight is children carrying plastic jugs and small bottles toward headwater streams to fetch water. By tradition, people believe headwater streams are clean. In reality, that water is not always safe, and children with weaker immunity are affected most.
Clean water is a precious opportunity for families to improve their living conditions and protect their health. That is why clean water became one of the ministry’s priorities in 2024.
A Well for 76 Households in Village T.
Previously, 76 Bru-Vân Kiều households in village T. used water from a small stream in the village, but the stream was drying up and unhygienic. After a site survey, the ministry and local brothers decided to support digging a well.
On May 18, 2024, the villagers began digging. They actively helped prepare the site, provide technical help and supervise the work. By early June, about 70% of the work was done. The well was then completed with a pump to a storage tank, at a total cost of 30 million dong. The villagers were also shown how to use and maintain the well to keep clean water flowing for years, even in the dry season.
2,000 Meters of Pipe to Village A.
At the same time, in village A., home to 11 Bru-Vân Kiều households and a school, the work crew and villagers laid a 2,000-meter pipe from a headwater stream to the village across difficult hilly terrain. A tank was also carefully installed to store and distribute water to the families and the school.
The gravity-fed water system was completed at a cost of 35 million dong from the Community Development Ministry. For the first time in a long while, families can use water right near their homes, and the students at the school have clean water too.
Faith Shown Through Action
With a limited budget, supporting the hardest-hit areas makes a visible difference: water to drink and wash with, better health and lighter daily burdens. The Apostle James reminds us that true faith always goes hand in hand with action:
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.” (James 2:15–17)
Helping struggling communities is a concrete way to live out Jesus’ teaching, testify to our faith and spread His compassion. The success of these two projects also reflects the unity and mutual support of the villagers themselves.
Let Us Pray Together
- For the well and gravity-fed system to work reliably and serve the villagers for many years.
- For the health of Bru-Vân Kiều children and families to improve.
- For the ministry to keep having resources to reach villages still without clean water.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
