The Need

Clean drinking water is linked very closely to the quality of human life. Without safe water to drink, waterborne diseases are widespread and devastating. In India, the primary sources of drinking water are heavily contaminated with filth:
  • Physical impurities
  • Agricultural and industrial wastes
  • Underground chemicals and minerals
It is greatly concerning that many people in India do not have access to clean drinking water. This is especially true for the poor, lower income class, and people living in remote villages.

The Water Well That Started It All

In June 2012, Abraham Thomas, the founder of Breakthrough Water, went on a missions trip to India. While visiting a remote village, he was deeply moved by a group of women who arrived carrying water on their heads from miles away. He learned that clean drinking water was not locally available—not for this village, nor for the 2 nearby villages. Every single day, the women of the villages walked 6-8 miles just to bring back safe water for their families.

Abraham saw that the major victim of this water crisis was the children. Waterborne diseases were rampant. Many children were ill. Many had died.

Thankfully, the missions team he was with was there to bring a solution to this problem. In only 3 days, the team drilled a water well that gave all 3 villages access to clean drinking water.

The joy that he saw in the eyes of the villagers was remarkable—and unforgettable.

Since then, Abraham has made bringing clean drinking water to India one of his life goals. He and the Breakthrough Water team have traveled thousands of miles and visited hundreds of villages to accomplish this goal.

Each water well that is drilled provides clean drinking water for every person in that village for the next 15+ years.

As of January 2019, over 147 water well projects have been completed, providing access to clean drinking water for over 70,000 people!

The Need Continues

There are hundreds of remote villages in India still desperately in need of access to clean drinking water. By establishing strong partnerships between the drilling company and local businesses, we are now able to drill water wells at an even more competitive price than before.

For 2019, we are currently working on raising funds to dig 100 new wells.

Clean drinking water changes everything!

Together, we can transform the remote villages of India.

Support us in giving the gift of safe water today!

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Poverty, Struggle, Hope...

“Growing up in India, my family co-existed with rats, mosquitos, flies, cockroaches, even snakes – and we all fought for water.

My parents couldn’t find a home that they could afford because my dad did not make much money. At that time, the only place to live was inside the church he worked at.

Our room was separated by a bamboo mat. My sisters and I shared one side, and our parents were on the other.

My mom cooked outside in a small shed. It was far from modern, but she was grateful. She spent lots of time making all kinds of food from scratch in that modest kitchen. There was no refrigerator, blender, or sink to make life easy. When she cooked, the smoke from the firewood would fill the shed and come back into the area where we slept.

The biggest struggle living there was the lack of a toilet. My dad rode his bicycle about 2 miles every morning to the home of a church member to use their toilet. My mom and we kids went the bathroom in the rubber tree field behind the church.

Finding places to go to the bathroom was easy compared to finding water. We used to carry water back home from a few different wells within walking distance. We felt like a constant nuisance using other people’s wells. It was like we were always walking on eggshells, not knowing if we would be banished from their water well or not.

A Hindu lady who lived across the road heard about our struggle and invited us to use her family’s water well. We would carefully lower our buckets into the large hole, then pull the rope to brink it back up, trying not to spill the little bit of water that was inside the bucket.

That nice, God-fearing lady told us to use her water well as if it were our own. Though she was from another religion, we never felt threatened, nor did she. We co-existed happily as if we were family. There was a mutual respect and love. The kindness this woman showed us etched something permanent in my heart.

How Breakthrough Water Started

When I was 27-years-old, God allowed me to see a land I had only heard talked about as if it were fictional: New York.

Just a few yards off the plane, there was a large private room where I could wash myself with free water that was filtered and unlimited. There was a smaller private room inside that where I could go to the bathroom. There was unlimited water there too, and soft paper to clean myself with.

I then reached the home I would stay at. It had a faucet with water that I could adjust to be hot or cold. My in-laws assured me that the water was drinkable.

Needless to say, my mind was racing. The only question I could think of was, “How can I help the people back in India experience this too?”

In 2012, I was a few semesters away from completing my college education in the United States, and the burning desire to help the people in my homeland had not stopped. But I didn’t know how to start.

During a trip back to India, I was in a village just like the one I grew up in staying as a guest in my friend’s home.
In India, it is customary for the host to serve tea before the guest leaves. My friend’s wife went out to get water for our tea. One and a half hours later, she returned. While I’d been waiting, I remembered my own pain and struggle finding water for my family’s guests.

Then I heard a still, small voice, a nudge in my spirit say, “Give them Water!”

Hundreds of questions emerged in my mind… How? I had never drilled a water well. I didn't even know how it was done. So I began asking questions. I knew I needed to find a well drilling company.

After driving around looking for 2 hours, we found a man with a drill. Three days later, we started drilling our first well in a village called Makkuva in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Through this experience, I began to pay closer attention to the water crisis – globally, but especially in India.

I began to notice women and children in villages walking with pots of water on their heads. Some would carry 5-6 pots on their head at the same time. The average walk for a woman is 1 to 2 hours. Some get water from open water wells, some from mountain water run off, others from streams.

My eyes were opened widely.
My heart was filled with compassion.
I began to search for more resources.

This sparked conversations among my friends in the United States. Through these conversations, Breakthrough Water was established.

In 2013, we drilled 8 more water wells. As of January 2019, we have now drilled 147 wells, giving clean water to more than 70,000 people.

 

The Dream

Our dream is to work with donors in the United States and other developed countries to drill 1,000 more water wells in India and other developing countries in Asia.

When we drill a well, we not only give clean water, but we also help transform that village.

‏ • Mom’s can spend an extra estimated 5 hours a day with their children and/or earn an income.
‏ • Families stay healthier because they are not drinking contaminated water.
‏ • Children can focus on education more because they have more time.

Please donate a water well. Water Reverses Poverty!

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