Giving Hope through Water

Forty-eight families in Bethlehem have benefitted from a £50,000 programme that has provided them with reliable access to clean water

Mains water supply in the Bethlehem area is intermittent with supply being available perhaps only two days in a month. With so many people unemployed and stuck at home due to the war, the demand for clean water storage has risen hugely.

The project, led by the Christian charity Friends of the Holy Land, addressed an urgent need for these families by replacing old, rusty and cracked water tanks and installing solar panels.. Their only alternative to these insanitary tanks was to buy in water brought in by tanker at ten times the cost of a mains supply.

“The range of people helped by this project is across the spectrum of the local Christian community from large families to a young couple about to get married; all of whom could not have afforded to even consider making this work without our help”, Brendan Metcalfe, CEO of Friends of the Holy Land, said.

Now, not only are their lives improved but they know that our supporters around the world love and care for them which is an emotional boost for them in these dark days. Hopefully this will also encourage them to remain in the Holy Land.”

The project used exclusively local Christian suppliers and contractors, so the financial benefits were multiplied as it provided work and an income for them as well, at a time when there are few construction jobs around because of the war.

Moreover, as part of the project specification, young people from the Christian community were taken on as apprentices to learn the trade on the job.

Phase Two of the programme is scheduled to start later this year and there is a growing waiting list.

You can support the next phase of this project through the charity’s website or call their office on 01926 512980.