Kiva water wells

Sustainability.  It’s a word that has been thrown around so many time that somehow, it’s lost its meaning.  Or the word itself is defined in as many ways as there are people who use the word.
 
Biblically speaking, there are 21 references to the word sustain, sustains, or sustaining.  Every time the word sustain is used in any of the variants it has reference to God supplying a life-giving necessity, of his spirit, food and drink, or life itself.

When Jesus met the woman at the well, he asks her for a drink of water.  The woman is confused about who is asking, and why? 
 
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10 NIV.
 
Water, and especially living water, has always been a necessary element of our very existence.  There are so many people worldwide that have little or no access to clean, life sustaining water, much less the Living Water that Jesus offers.
 
The former India Discipleship Network (IDN) that is now a part of Agape Asia, has drilled and implemented over sixty water wells in India for many years, providing clean water to many impoverished communities.  Because of these water wells the local Christians have been telling the story of the Woman at the Well bringing many people and families the good news of Jesus.
 
Water wells significantly improve public health in underdeveloped areas. Contaminated water sources, such as rivers or open ponds, are common in rural India, leading to waterborne diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. According to the World Health Organization, unsafe water and poor sanitation cause over 800,000 deaths annually, with India bearing a substantial burden.
New water wells provide a reliable source of clean groundwater, reducing the incidence of these diseases. Healthier communities mean reduced medical costs and increased productivity, breaking the cycle of poverty.
 
Strategically placed water wells also drive economic empowerment. In many underdeveloped areas, women and children spend hours daily fetching water from distant sources, limiting time for education or income-generating activities. A well in a poor village can save families 3-4 hours daily. This time can be redirected toward schooling for children or small-scale enterprises, like farming or handicrafts, for adults.
 
Water wells promote equity, particularly for women and marginalized groups. Women, who often bear the burden of water collection, gain autonomy and safety when wells are nearby. By reducing disparities in water access, wells empower vulnerable groups and enhance community resilience.
 
Water wells can be sustainable if managed properly. Over-extraction of groundwater is often a concern, but modern drilling techniques, coupled with rainwater harvesting, can mitigate depletion. In many places of India combining wells with recharge structures has stabilized groundwater levels, ensuring long-term water security. 
 
In the interest of creating sustainability for our ministry partners, Agape Asia, partnering with local church leaders, along with the Hope and Equip Foundation plan to drill and open five more water wells in Kiva, India*. These wells will provide the children and families we serve with health and medical benefits and give the local leaders opportunity to do more disciple making and plant more churches.
 
It improves health, boosts economic opportunities, and addresses a basic need. Water wells lay the foundation for holistic development, transforming lives in India’s most vulnerable communities by offering a Living Water.
 
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13 NIV

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* name changed for security reasons