Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) Supports Thousands in the Fight Against Poverty by Installing Solar Water Wells in Rural Pakistan
- ajoyce140
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” – Nelson Mandela, 2005
Yet, despite many of our best efforts, poverty still pervades all corners of the world. The impermeable nature of poverty can be attributed to many causes: a lack of access to education, exposure to subpar living conditions, limited resources and assets; the list goes on. All of this, unfortunately, creates a cycle of poverty that is inherited by generations: a poverty trap.
Nonetheless, there is one major factor that keeps individuals stuck in this poverty trap: a lack of access to clean drinking water. Water scarcity is an insurmountable obstacle to one’s existence. In the daily struggle for survival, in the quest for clean drinking water, all things become secondary. Food isn’t grown, houses aren’t built, a healthy lifestyle isn’t maintained, education becomes a luxury, and productivity declines entirely. Without clean water, the possibility of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is essentially impossible.
This is an unfortunate reality faced by millions in Pakistan. As of 2023, around 39.4% of Pakistan's population lives below the national poverty line, with 55% of the poor living in rural areas where infrastructure and services are severely underdeveloped. This poverty then penetrates generations, as over two-thirds of children in Pakistan suffer from a lack of access to education, healthcare, and sanitation. This lack of access to clean water also has a colossal impact on families, as they are exposed to waterborne diseases like typhoid, worms, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. This exposure to preventable illnesses and deaths pushes over 20 million Pakistanis further into poverty every year due to health expense payments that they simply cannot afford.
Struggling with debt and looking after the sick and vulnerable, the future opportunities of the youth then become a distant dream. The key to escaping poverty is education, yet Pakistan has the second-highest number of out-of-school children in the world — over 23 million. This results in low social mobility, with only 5% of children that are born into poor households able to move into higher income brackets as adults. And so, history is destined to repeat itself once again, trapping generations in a crippling state of poverty, struggle and deficiency.
Now, imagine if all these structural barriers could be dismantled by the simplest of things: the liquid of life – pure, clean water.
Aware of the transformational qualities that water can bring, Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) secured access to clean drinking water for 1700 beneficiaries through the installation of five solar water pumps. The water project was implemented in Charsadda, KPK, Pakistan, with all five wells being established by January 15th, 2025. The five wells were built in remote and inaccessible areas, serving marginalized and vulnerable communities, such as the disabled or chronically sick people, pregnant women, widows or aged female-headed households, and households with multiple dependents.
The construction of these solar water wells has had a dramatic impact on the communities’ overall wellbeing, specifically their economy, education, and health, and has also facilitated women’s empowerment.
As the wells are solar-powered, sustainable and renewable energy is generated and used, rather than manual labor, to pull water much faster and deeper from within the ground. This has enabled children to consistently attend school instead of expending valuable energy and time in the quest for water, which is usually contaminated or suffering from waterborne illnesses. Likewise, adults (specifically women), now granted the gift of time, can care for their families, expand minimal farming to sustainable levels, and even run small businesses.
The miraculous, transformational qualities of clean water have begun to do their job. Lubricating the rusty, rigid locks of the poverty trap, these communities have now been freed to begin working towards a new quality and standard of living.
A teacher at one of the local schools, Mr. Ejaz-ul-Haq, expressed his profound gratitude for the philanthropic initiative that brought solar water wells to their community. Commending the dedicated efforts of the entire LIFE team and its donors, he emphasized the transformative impact this has on the lives of women, young girls, and children who previously lacked easy access to clean water.
By addressing the critical need for safe and clean drinking water, LIFE has not only enhanced the overall well-being of these marginalized communities but has also set a shining example of impactful humanitarian work. In the words of one of the community members, the water provided by these wells is “a true blessing”. The potential for these communities has now multiplied; freed from the shackles of water scarcity, they can now grow and bloom, no longer confined to the limitations of the poverty traps that previously held them back.
Thank you for your donations and efforts, for they have granted thousands the gift of a fuller LIFE.
