By Kari Costanza

Cheporwala Kadeke lives in Kenya in the dry valley below Lelan. Today, she and her family are experiencing the joy of clean water.

Cheporwala (left), a mother of three, lives near one of the area’s new water kiosks. She used to worry about abduction when her daughter Nancy, 6, would fetch water. “When it’s late I [would] sometimes go to find her. I hear of people who ‘get’ children at water points. You never know when it might happen here.”

Today, Cheporwala is free of fear and her children, including World Vision sponsored child Toroitich, 12, are free of waterborne disease. “While getting water from the river, they used to get sick all the time,” Cheporwala says. “They used to get typhoid. We used to spend a lot of money on medication.”

Fortunately, having clean water nearby breeds good hygiene and good health. “The children can take full baths,” Cheporwala says. “They used to wash from their knees down, their faces, and their hands. Now they can wash everything, every day, and wash their uniforms.”

Cheporwala thinks her water use has doubled since the water kiosk opened. “Before, we drank very little,” she says. “I would tell my children to be sparing with water. Now, they drink as much as they want.”

She gives credit to God. “I can’t remember how many years we prayed, but I know it’s been a long time,” she says. “We trust in God. God answers prayers.