Drought season in southern Vietnam continues to bring increased challenges to already vulnerable households. Impoverished families struggle to not only secure drinking water, but water that is needed for cooking, bathing, and washing clothes.
Samaritan’s Purse recently provided large capacity water tanks to support about 160 households during the months of drought. A village chief in one of the communities where we worked explained that families were previously storing water in clay pots that were dirty and insufficient to hold the large amount of water needed.
“Thanks to the water tanks from Samaritan’s Purse, people can now store water adequately and hygienically. They are very excited,” he said.
The water tank project is creating consistent access to water — something most families in the area have never experienced — and changing lives.
Thach Thi La Dum, 23, lives with her parents and two children in a small village. “Ever since I grew up and as long as I can remember, my family has never had clean water,” she said. “When they asked me to come and get the water tank I was so ecstatic.”
Anticipation and excitement were high once word spread that Samaritan’s Purse teams would be distributing water tanks. Huynh Thi Loan said she was so thrilled that she could hardly sleep the night before receiving her water tank.
“The water ran out quickly during the dry months, but I didn’t have enough money to buy a water tank,” she said. “I am very thankful that the program has brought aid to people in their time of need.”
Families also shared that lack of proper water storage created a financial burden, as they had to buy water and then transport it home. They had to do this many, many times during the drought season and yet often still found themselves without the water they so desperately needed.
Increasing water capacity is only the first among a variety of projects planned for the Mekong Delta region. Our teams are now focusing on constructing a pipeline to connect households with a government-installed water treatment plant that will help ensure the water in their tanks remains clean. We are also preparing for hygiene trainings, disaster risk reduction trainings, and livelihood projects.
Please pray for our teams working in Vietnam. Pray that people in Vietnam will come to know God’s love for them.
When disasters strike, Samaritan’s Purse responds quickly to bring relief to people in need. Your gift today can help us provide a lifeline to a family that has lost everything, to help them get back on their feet.
