"Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham…" – Genesis 26:18

Living in New Zealand, most of us are fortunate to have a constant supply of clean water to use for our everyday living. But that’s not the case in many of the world’s poorest places. Around the world, there are millions and millions of people who do not have access to clean water.

With generous support from kind people like you, Christian Blind Mission (cbm) continues the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), such as River Blindness which has shown incredible success over many years in Nigeria. Alongside the successful delivery of parasite-killing medication, which breaks the lifecycle of parasites that cause NTDs, cbm's Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project focuses on clean water and good sanitation to prevent NTDs from taking hold again.

Good health and clean water go hand in hand. So, having access to clean water from well-maintained boreholes, helps free children and adults from contracting NTDs such as River Blindness.

It also means men, women, and children no longer have to spend hours walking to gather muddied and contaminated water.

Clean water helps keep people healthy. And healthy people are more likely to be able to access education, have better livelihoods, and have a far greater chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and disability.

The major success factor of cbm's WASH programme is to provide clean water through fixing broken boreholes, also making them accessible for people with disabilities.

As we celebrate International Day of Charities on Thursday, 5 September, and having recently visited Nigeria, I ask for you to prayerfully consider making a special gift to help ensure clean water, and good sanitation and hygiene practices are accessible to communities, including people with disabilities. This will help prevent children and adults in local villages losing their sight due to River Blindness.   

With support from generous people like you, new or refurbished boreholes will provide communities with a centrally located source of clean water.

The addition of wheelchair ramps will make the task of gathering water safer and more accessible to people with disabilities.

Right now, there are children, adults and whole communities in great need of clean water in places like Nigeria… but your generous support can change that.

By sending your gift, you selflessly make it possible for clean water to be made available to communities, and you will also be helping to provide education to primary schools, including setting up WASH Clubs and installing handwashing stations.

When I was in Nigeria, I visited a small community and their school where a WASH Club has been set up. The children were excited to have access to clean drinking water, and to learn about improving their personal sanitation and hygiene practices.

The children happily demonstrated their new hand-washing skills, and showed me how to wash my hands using soap and 'tippy-taps'. These 'tippy-taps' were filled with fresh clean water from the refurbished community borehole, and constructed from low-cost recycled materials.

Whilst in the area, I also spoke with people in the community who were trained by cbm's partner to repair wells. One of them was Chetachi, who could not walk unaided, and had a friend carrying his tools.

"Before there was no clean water and now, this is no longer an issue," he said, with a beaming smile.

Chetachi is trained by cbm's partner to maintain borehole pumps, and repair them when broken.

Because of this training, Chetachi, and other people with disabilities, now have jobs and feel valued and included in the community.

I spoke with other people in the community who now have access to clean water from their newly refurbished borehole. They spoke of their gratitude to thoughtful people like you.

I am also grateful for kind and loving people like you, who are willing to help WASH away the misery of NTDs in the world’s poorest places.

Whilst this community is now thriving, right now in other villages in Nigeria there are many children and adults in desperate need of clean water… and your generous support can help change that.

The Director from cbm's WASH partner said to me: "Many charities want to come in at the end when we are winning the battle against NTDs. But cbm has been there from the start."

My challenge to you is, let's continue the incredible progress made over many years to combat NTDs. Please prayerfully consider sending a gift today by phoning 0800 77 22 64 or on cbm’s website www.cbmnz.org.nz/wash.

With your generous support, let’s WASH away the misery of NTDs!

Thank you for your kind and caring heart. May God bless you.

Dr Murray Sheard received his PhD in Ethics and Philosophy

from the University of Auckland. He has worked in

international development for over 15 years

and is the Chief Executive Officer of cbm New Zealand.