Clean Water, a New Hope for Mangu Villagers

Ningsih, 12, smiles widely. She can take a bath twice a day now with clean water drenching her skin, just like any other child. She lives in Mangu village, Baiya sub-district, North Palu.

Everyday after school she helps her family carry water from the clean water tank using plastic bottles, to her home's water container. Ningsih fills the container, bottle after bottle until it is totally full.

The location of Mangu village is actually close to sea, but it doesn't mean that this place has much clean water to drink. The nearest spring to Mangu was dirty and unhealthy to drink.

For years, Mangu villagers walked up a hill located about 1 kilometer away to find clean water. Ningsih's mom, Lasmita, 42, was one of the residents who would go to the springs every morning, returning with 8 bottles of water.

"I have to go to the springs at dawn to wash clothes. When I go home, I have to carry 6 or 8 bottles of water," said Lasmita remembering the difficulty of accessing clean water.

Community participation was key in building the water tanks.

It's no wonder that Mangu was known as an area prone to malnutrition and diarrhea.

Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI), a partner of World Vision, in Palu operational office decided to give attention to this issue. In cooperation with Public Works Agency (DPU) in Palu city, a clean water tank was built near Mangu village homes in 2013.

At first, the people were nervous to work with WVI. Most of the villagers who were Muslim thought WVI was an institution with a Christian mission. But Lasmita and her family had a different view. They believed that WVI would help the villagers in many ways.

Slowly they began to welcome WVI and even participate in the programmes. Community participation was very important in building water tanks.

Now with the close access to clean water, children of Mangu village can take a bath regularly, brush their teeth, and live healthy- including Ningsih.