Clean Water & Sanitation

In many countries, sanitation and clean water are a given. This is not the case in Nepal. It not uncommon for an entire village to be without even one outhouse. By building toilets and using a clean source of water, many health problems can be addressed at the roots or prevented. H.E.L.P. strives to give locals the skills to continual address these issues.

2 Corinthians 7:1, “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

Why is It Important?

Water is used for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other day to day activities. Though it is essential for living, it can be a breeding ground for deadly illnesses.

If a village water source is contaminated, the entire village can get an illness that only one person started out with. This is why it is important to have outhouses and a clean water source.

Testing the Water Source

Find the Issue

Usually each village has one water source that everyone uses. If this source is contaminated, the whole village can become sick. A sample of this water is collected and tested for fecal matter during the H.E.L.P. training. Once the health problem is identified, local Christians organize a village meeting to discuss how to address the issue.

Address the Problem

H.E.L.P. participates in explaining how to address the issue, which may include anything from building a well to creating a water tank. We encourage the formation of water user groups within the village to oversee water management. This way the community is directly addressing the issue. We also subsidize large water projects such as water tanks.

Toilet Project

Most villages don’t have sewage systems or plumbing. H.E.L.P. teaches families how to build outhouses using locally available material and even subsidizes the cost.

This project is unique in that only families that are willing to build the toilet themselves under H.E.L.P. supervision and pay part of the cost participate. This ensures that they value and use the toilets.

Help a Family Build a Toilet

In order to make building toilets easier financially, we subsidize the building material. This gives families the chance to have clean living conditions and decreases the spread of disease. Depending on the family needs, we pay for about half the cost, which is $50.