The Love of God Poured Out

Saving Lives in Zambia Through the Gift of Clean Water

Along the great Zambezi River in Zambia, many dangers are lurking at the water’s edge. Home to poisonous snakes, wildly aggressive hippos and deadly crocodiles, it’s the only source of drinking water for many people living along its banks in south-central Africa.

About a mile from the river in Kabele Village, Induna Jackson Polota, a local leader, shared that nearly a dozen people in his area alone had lost their lives to crocodiles while getting water. Three of them were his family members. The amount of loss was eye-opening and something far too many people had in common.

“The first person we lost in the village was the wife to my brother. The second was my niece, and then the third—it was my grandchild,” he said.

“On our way from here to the river … people used to be bitten by snakes, and at the river, crocodiles attacked people. Even my mom was almost eaten by a crocodile.”

Joyce Mashewani, who lives in the same village, also suffered a heartbreaking loss when her daughter was caught and killed by a crocodile.

“The whole family … had a fear, a big fear, that if a child has gone to the river, we were doubting if the child would come back without being attacked,” Joyce said. “Even us elders were scared when going to the river.”

Yet day in and day out, people from the village made the terrifying journey, carrying buckets to fill at the river – fearful and unsure if they’d come home alive.

“We had no water source in the village, so there was no other way,” Joyce said. “We were forced to go and fetch it from the river.”

Some miles away, in Malombe Village, twin sisters, Monde and Nandila shared about how their older sister went to get water one day and never returned. Nandila was there when the accident happened.

“We were in knee-high water,” she remembered. “The crocodile jumped, and it caught my sister by the leg and pulled her into the deeper waters.”

Nandila was shaken and completely devastated, but the very next day, she had to return to that place of fear and heartache along the river. It’s hard to imagine the mental and physical toll this chore would take, but it continued—as it does for so many—until a day when everything changed.

One beautiful day Monde and Nandila’s village received the most transformative gift from strangers. God used the support of people just like you from around the world—our wonderful Joyce Meyer Ministries partners—to provide their village with a safe source of fresh, clean water.

With our missions arm, Hand of Hope, and in partnership with Reaching a Generation, together, we have been able to share God’s love by drilling a well in each of the villages. 

Monde and Nandila are beyond thankful for the life-changing help. The well has brought peace to their hearts, health to their bodies and has essentially saved their lives. And ever since the well was drilled in Malombe Village, Monde said not one person there has been attacked or killed by a crocodile.

Their neighbor Nicholas Mulinda, who had lost a niece in an attack years ago, said he knows it is the love of Jesus that caused people to give such an amazing gift to them.

“God has showed His love by bringing some people we didn’t expect to come and put that [well] here,” he said. “We thank God for that gift of bringing those people in this village to help us.”

Induna Jackson and Joyce Mashewani also vividly recall their very special day when a well was drilled in Kabele Village.

“It was a really happy day,” Induna Jackson said. “People from the different villages came to see the well. They were so happy! They were dancing, enjoying the water.”

“It’s changed our lives,” Joyce said. “With this well, we can come and fetch water at any time without fearing anything.”

“I can’t even know how to explain it,” Induna Jackson shared with tears of joy. “I feel as if I am in heaven where there is no suffering because of the well!”

From the bottom of our heart, we want to thank you for choosing to pour out God’s love again and again along the Zambezi River. Your generosity is saving lives and touching hearts in Africa as well as many other parts of the world. Thank you for relieving physical suffering and providing people with an everlasting hope—a hope that will never run dry.

Help provide clean water for more people at joycemeyer.org/MyCause