A Well That Carries More Than Water

In a remote village in northwest Tanzania, you hear singing and clapping. You turn a corner and see a group of women dancing in step—a rhythmic, swaying, swirl of vivid color.

If Dismas Shekalaghe, a local Tanzanian and the national director for Life Ministry (as Cru^® is known there), were to translate the words from Swahili, you’d realize the villagers were worshipping Jesus.

They do so because Global Aid Network^® (or GAiN^®, the humanitarian arm of Cru) and Dismas formed a partnership to build wells and plant churches. Dismas recognized that clean water leads to worship in Jesus, particularly in Tanzania.

Three of the largest lakes in Africa border Tanzania. Lake Victoria is the largest, and Lake Tanganyika is the deepest. Yet in impoverished areas, children dig holes waiting for water to seep into their buckets. Often the water conceals dangerous parasites.

For safe water, women and children leave their homes in the middle of the night, hiking between four to six hours one way to reach the closest water source, which is contaminated. In those hours they risk rape and hyena attacks.

This is why GAiN works alongside Dismas and his team of local pastors to dig wells, begin communal gardens and distribute resources, like food, clothes, shoes and school supplies. Nine wells and 22 gardens were built in 16 months. Each well serves a minimum of 500 individuals a day.

Today, villagers can visit a well practically in their backyards.

This work, in rural villages where witchcraft is prevalent, breeds curiosity. Locals ask, “Why do you care about us?” In response, the pastors present the gospel, and use the JESUS film and the resources of partner ministry Faith Comes by Hearing.

Since December 2015, pastors have planted 48 churches.

This church-planting model, rooted in clean water and Christ-centered worship, is growing across Africa.

For as bellies are filled and comprehension dawns, the dancing begins.