This is a Miracle
Tadelech, 17, is in 10th grade. She lives with her parents and five siblings in Wonchi district, 88 miles south of Addis Ababa. Her parents are farmers that grow cereal crops for house consumption.
The second child of eight, Tadelech shouldered hardship at a tender age. As early as six she was fetching water from unsafe sources in her village. She walked 40 minutes up and down a hill to the Gannato River, carrying water in a three-liter jerry can. As she grew up, she carried a jerry can as big as 20 liters.
Tadelech left home at dawn to gather water and then returned home to prepare for her school walk. After school, Tadelech walked home, had late lunch and walked back to the stream for more water. The water she drew was dirty and often caused recurring disease for her family.
It was a vicious circle with no hope in sight for Tadelech. Walking to the stream up to 3 times every day sapped her energy and affected her class performance. Although physics was her favorite subject, her test results proved otherwise. She stood 20th out of 60 students in her class and said, “My grades were all enraging.”
Tadelech remembers accompanying her mother to the nearby town of Darian to help buy basic commodities for home. Seeing families that have had pure drinking water in their yard or nearby and girls of her age appearing spotless and working hard on their academic achievement made her feel jealous. “My faith was challenged when I compared my life with that of others and when things did not seem to change.”
Tadelech’s active participation in Sunday school classes and ardent desire to sing in her church choir were second to none. But her family need for water took precedence over her ambitions. Her church congregation as well as her parents tenaciously prayed for God’s intervention.
Those prayers were answered when World Vision, Wonchi Area Program dug a deep well, providing water points in Tadelech’s village. She draws water near her home twice a day. Today 250- 300 beneficiaries have access to clean water. Tadelech considers it an answer to her prayers. “Hallelujah! This is a miracle, the supernatural intervention of God -even in situations that seem not plausible,” Tadelech said.
Tadelech draws clean water
Tadelech no longer leaves home early to walk up and down the hill and she no longer gets sick. She leads a normal life like any schoolgirls where World Vision operates. She has enough time to study with other village girls and attend worship service. This academic year she stood 10th out of 41 students. ”Availability of the water point at a close distance has improved my grades,” she said. She vows to work harder to stand either first or second this second. Tadelech’s favorite verse is Psalm 65:9 …You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.