Papua Water Project
One village already has clean water. Three more are waiting.
Christians in remote villages of Papua, Indonesia are under pressure - economic, cultural and religious. And beyond these pressures, they are living with a devastating reality.
Families are being affected by mercury contamination associated with gold-mining activity, making the water they rely on completely unsafe to drink. Yet for families living along this river, there are few alternatives.
Water is relied upon for drinking, preparing food and washing. Contaminated water is causing chronic sickness and serious skin conditions affecting both adults and children. And finding safe water elsewhere is extraordinarily difficult.
These are isolated Christian communities. There are few roads, travel is often by boat and on foot, and reaching another source of clean water can mean hours of difficult travel through mountainous terrain. For something most of us can access simply by turning on a tap, families here face a daily choice no family should have to make.
But there is hope.
One village already has clean water
In one village, a clean water system has already been successfully installed. A bore drilled approximately 60 metres underground reaches water below the contaminated surface source.
Solar power operates the pumping system, with treatment and control equipment helping provide clean water at a central community access point. And the difference clean water can make reaches far beyond having something safe to drink.
It means safer water for preparing food. It means children and parents can wash without repeatedly relying on contaminated river water. It means families have a dependable source closer to home rather than travelling long distances searching for water.
And it means one of the most basic foundations for a healthy community - safe, accessible water - is finally within reach. The first system has shown that the solution can work.
Now three more villages are waiting.
Across the four communities, around 340 families will benefit from access to safe, clean water. A solution designed to last.
Getting a water system into this part of Papua, Indonesia is not simple. Each installation takes approximately three to four weeks, including transporting people and equipment into the highlands, establishing the bore, installing the pump, solar panels and control equipment, testing the system and ensuring it is functioning properly. But this project is about more than installing equipment. It is about making sure that what is built can continue serving families well into the future.
BFA is working alongside established Indonesian Christian partners - local believers who know the country, speak the language, and understand the cultural context in which the work is taking place. Rather than relying on outsiders, the project is led by these local Christian relationships, with Indonesian personnel overseeing the work on the ground and navigating the practical challenges of reaching these isolated villages.
This is at the core of who we are: from Christians, through Christians, to Christians - your gift reaching brothers and sisters through those who know them best.
And once a system is installed, local people remain at the heart of it. A water committee from within the community is trained to operate the pumping system and care for the equipment, including the solar components.
The goal is not simply to arrive, drill a bore and leave. It is to help establish something the community has the knowledge and capability to sustain.
As Diane Fennell, who oversees projects for BFA, says: "It's empowering locals, and that's really what it's all about."
There is already clean water flowing in one village. Now imagine what it will mean when families in the next village no longer have to look at contaminated water and wonder whether they have any other choice. And then the next village. And the next. Three communities are still waiting. Together, we can help bring safe water within reach.
Much is changing at BFA right now — our name, our colours, the way we present ourselves. But what we stand for has not changed, and it never will: we are seen, loved and not alone in this family of faith — and neither are they.
How you can give
Your gift will help support the equipment, transport, installation and local training needed to establish clean water systems in these remote communities.
Or contribute towards the complete system. Amounts are approximate, based on current Indonesian costs and exchange rates. Actual costs may vary with exchange rates, transport and local supplier prices.
Two Ways to Give:
Gifts to Barnabas Fund Australia are not tax deductible. If you would like a tax-deductible receipt, please give to BREAD Australia, which also supports persecuted and suffering Christians except projects for specifically religious activities (e.g. Christian literature, ministry and training). Gifts of $2 and more to BREAD Australia are tax deductible.
Gifts to this appeal can be received by BREAD Australia
On the donation form, please choose Papua Water Project, BRD004
Other ways to donate
Cash or Cheque, mail to GPO Box 612, Adelaide SA 5001. Please quote the project reference BRD004.
Telephone, call (08) 8117 8079 or toll-free 1300 365 799.
or if you prefer to donate by Direct Transfer, details are below. Please quote the project reference BRD004.
Barnabas Fund Australia
Barnabas Relief Education and Development
How you can pray
Father, we thank You for the clean water already flowing in the first village. We pray now for the families in the three villages still waiting. Please provide everything needed to bring safe water into these communities. Protect those transporting equipment through difficult terrain and give wisdom to everyone involved in drilling, installing and commissioning each system.
Bless the local people who will be trained to operate and care for the water systems, and may what is built continue serving their communities for many years to come.
We pray for the day when no family here has to rely on contaminated water simply because there is nowhere else to turn. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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