40,000 ‘Jesus Wells’ supply people with clean water in world’s poorest, thirstiest places; World Water Day, March 22

’JESUS WELLS’ SAVE LIVES AMID WORLD WATER CRISIS: On World Water Day, March 22, around 2.2 billion people worldwide lack safe drinking water. GFA World supplies some 39 million people with clean water in the world’s poorest and thirstiest regions.

NEWS PROVIDED BY
GFA World
March 21, 2025

WILLS POINT, Texas, March 21, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Millions across Africa and Asia are bracing for the annual drought season that could result in catastrophic loss of life in coming months as millions turn to filthy, disease-ridden ponds as a last resort to find drinking water.

Global mission agency GFA World (www.gfa.org) is warning that urgent action is needed as World Water Day on March 22 spotlights the looming water crisis.

“About 2.2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water, and 829,000 of them will die this year from waterborne diseases, most of which could be prevented,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, the organization’s president. “This is something we should all care about.”

Since 2007, the Texas-based organization has drilled 40,000 freshwater wells — known as “Jesus Wells” — and supplied some 39 million people with safe drinking water in some of the world’s poorest and thirstiest regions.

They’re called “Jesus Wells” because they’re inscribed with Christ’s words recorded in John’s Gospel: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” The wells are much-frequented community gathering spots — like a town square — giving local people “opportunities to experience God’s love,” Yohannan said.

This year, GFA World aims to drill thousands more wells in drought-prone places across Africa and Asia. Each well reliably supplies clean drinking water to hundreds of people for 20 years or more, even during severe drought, the organization said.

Teams typically drill 600 feet to reach fresh water — and the end-result transforms local communities, saving countless lives at risk of cholera, typhoid and other often-fatal waterborne diseases.

In Vimal’s village in Asia, women had to line up for two hours every day to fill their water jugs from the nearest safe water source, trekking up 10 miles on foot each day. When the water dried up during periods of drought, fights broke out over water at the muddy village pond, their only other option.

All that changed when the local pastor and his congregation drilled a new well with help from the mission organization.

“The women don’t have to spend half their days hauling water,” Yohannan said, “the children no longer miss school searching for water, people don’t get sick from drinking polluted water, and so many are encouraged seeing their communities transformed by Christ’s love.”

For more about GFA World’s water projects in Africa and Asia, go to www.gfa.org/press/water.

GFA World (www.gfa.org) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

SOURCE GFA World

CONTACT: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660, gwooding@inchristcommunications.com