Despite the obstacles, women and children used to rise at 3 a.m. and trek through the snake-infested bush to fetch water. In the process, some of the women and children were bitten by snakes. They went late at night to be able to fetch "clean water" from the stream.

Now, thanks to CBN International, the community of Nakuse in Nasarawa State no longer has to risk snakebite to fetch water.

The predominately Muslim village of 3,000 is about 3 hours from the capital city of Abuja, Nigeria. Their primary occupation is farming. Only 2 percent are Christians.

The promise by the local government to provide water for the people has remained unfulfilled for years.

CBN's well was officially commissioned on Tuesday, June 29, 2004 by John Kalma, Operation Blessing manager, Nigeria.

The entire community expressed their profound gratitude to God and CBN partners for bringing hope and comfort to them. The occasion was greeted with traditional singing and dancing by the villagers as a demonstration of their happiness for the gift of the Living Water Well to the community.

The village head, Mallam Lukpeyi said:

"We are so grateful to you for the gift of this bore well. It will save our women and children from snakebites. Many had been bitten. On behalf of my community I thank you for saving us from dying of snakebites and contaminated water."
Kande Yakub, one of the women bitten by a snake, was later introduced to the commissioning team by the village head.
"June 29, 2004 actually marked a turning point in the life of the people of Nakuse village as they now have clean water to drink," she said.

In a video outreach organized in the village before the commissioning day, 270 people were exposed to the gospel, with 21 people praying to accept Christ into their lives.

More from Anglophone West Africa.