When Sister Anne Nguyen Thi Tinh arrived in Chau Binh village, Vietnam, in 2023, she and her small community of religious sisters quickly saw the reality facing local families.
Every household relied on polluted water from shallow wells or streams. People knew the water caused illness including kidney problems and cancers, but bottled water was far beyond what most families could afford.
The sisters themselves had no choice but to use the same unsafe sources. Isolated by government restrictions on religious activity, they felt unable to meet or serve the villagers in any meaningful way.
Serving through clean water
Everything changed when the Jesuits in Vietnam, supported by our generous Jesuit Mission family, helped install a hygiene water station.
The project drilled 50 metres deep and used advanced filters and UV sterilisation to provide safe water for drinking and cooking.
“We asked for help because the villagers were suffering,” Sister Tinh explains. “With clean water, we could finally serve them.”
“Clean water helps us serve the poor with unconditional love and build a community of trust.”
Sister Tinh
A new gathering place
In an area officially designated by authorities as non religious, the sisters had previously been restricted from community outreach. But when they offered clean water as a social service, their presence was welcomed.
Each day around thirty villagers now come to the water station, turning the mission house into an informal gathering place.
“Through conversations at the water station, we became friends,” she says. “We visit their homes, hear their stories and understand their challenges.”
A doorway to trust and connection
Daily life for the sisters is now full of activity. Families drop by with their containers, children stop to talk after school and villagers share their worries and joys. The sisters also offer simple medical support and tutoring for children. Clean water has become the doorway to trust and connection.
Over time, relationships have grown between Catholic and non-Catholic families, and the Church is now seen as a helpful neighbour in the community.
Looking ahead, Sister Tinh hopes this water project will strengthen the foundations for more community development in the region.
“Clean water helps us serve the poor with unconditional love and build a community of trust,” she says.
