What are Water-Borne Diseases In developing countries, the scarcity of clean water amplifies the challenges posed by waterborne diseases, creating a formidable barrier to quality education. Like all other undetectable viruses and bacteria, waterborne diseases strike silently through tiny organisms that enter the body. Diseases like typhoid, giardia, cholera, and so many others jeopardize not only physical well-being but also the cognitive capacities of individuals–especially in young children.  And while science and collective efforts from community leaders and governments continue t ..read more

HWI’s safe water systems are not just community water treatment facilities but a collective effort towards safe water service. They are owned and operated by the community, contrasting household filters or treatments managed at the household level. While there are contexts where household filters may be the most appropriate and sustainable solution, centralized systems have many benefits, especially for the locations and types of water present where HWI works.   With a centralized system, the burden of ensuring water quality is lifted from individual households. Whether the wate ..read more

The Significance of Clean Water in Communities It is an impossible task to define how significant clean water can be because it is everything. At Healing Waters International, we believe that clean water is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all. Clean water gives us dignity by allowing us to stay clean, hygienic, and healthy. Clean water gives us food. Clean water grants us life, where we can pursue education, careers, families, and more. Clean water is necessary for survival, yes, but communities with easy access to clean water tend to forget the devastating social, physical, a ..read more

Did you know natural groundwater is generally considered safe to consume? Ideally, this would always be the case. Unfortunately, most groundwater sources do not remain untouched as they once did, safe to filter out unwanted matter independently. Today, it is difficult to find groundwater that has not been contaminated in some way. We will review how water gets contaminated in the first place, the sources of contamination, the negative effects of groundwater pollution, and what we can collectively do to prevent it. Water Wells Water wells help drain, collect, and transport water. Since flo ..read more

Renewable Energy Poverty in Developing Countries Living in energy poverty refers to areas with limited access to modern energy sources and products. This includes energy services that are not consistently reliable, safe, or of sound quality. Currently, too many areas of the world rely on traditional energy sources that are slowly destroying the environment, limiting economic and educational growth opportunities, and promoting unhealthy living conditions. Even today, a large portion of the world relies on sources like coal and kerosene for their daily energy needs. The fact is, many nation ..read more

Developing nations across the globe deal with water scarcity at an alarming level. In these densely populated and underfunded areas, water scarcity and inadequate sanitary infrastructure pose a challenge in meeting all residents’ demand for clean water. At Healing Waters International, we do our part to help these countries by taking on the challenge of finding customizable water filtration solutions to provide clean water to even the most remote communities. This endeavor is supported by the use of solar energy, which has emerged as one of the cleanest, most resilient, and readily accessible ..read more

Christmas Eve Christmas in Haiti is such a lively time, the lights often stay on until the early hours of Christmas Day. Children receive special permission from their parents to go out in the middle of the night to take part in Christmas Eve festivities. Older children look after the young ones, watching performances in public areas, watching carol singers, and waving sparklers in the air. Some children also leave shoes with straw in them under a tree, where they believe Santa, or Tonton Nwel, will exchange the straw for gifts. Many Haitian people are spiritual, and will attend ..read more

There is a strong feeling of kinship during the last month of the year in Guatemala. During this festive time, families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors gather together, participating in important Christmas traditions and gatherings. These parties, customs, and food have been shared for centuries and still play a valuable role today. Starting in late November, you will see work offices decked out with Christmas decorations, where these corporations will often hold Christmas parties for their staff or gift Christmas baskets with various treats. It is a time to gather, reflect, and thank the p ..read more

If you want to understand what’s most important to the people of Honduras, just take a look at their Christmas celebrations. While the country’s lack of clean water can make even the most basic activities a struggle, it hasn’t dampened their sense of community and holiday spirit. Honduras Christmas traditions center around family and faith, as people gather to reflect on the ups and downs of the past year and their hopes for the future. Christmas Eve More than 75% of people in Honduras identify as Catholic or Evangelist, so Christmas is a major event. Many of the biggest holiday events ha ..read more

Current Challenges for Accessing Clean Water in Zambia Zambia, a fast-growing nation in south central Africa, is experiencing difficulties providing enough clean water to its economically-diverse population, where most of the rural and poor urban areas cannot afford clean water to drink, bathe, and produce food. As of now, all water is sourced from the Zambian government, but without proper investments into water infrastructure, they will not be able to act alone. That is where assistance from outside organizations like us at Healing Waters, and our partner, Jibu can provide life-changing oppo ..read more