Boy Falls Into Dangerous Open Well

Twelve-year-old Samnang has two jobs he loves:  taking care of his cow and catching a few fish from the pond for the family’s main meal of the day. There is another job he dreads: getting water from an open pit well.  He told CBN why.

“The water from the well is very dirty. I often see frogs, snakeskin, and garbage in it. But we use it for everything, for washing and for drinking. I don’t want to drink the water from the well. But I don’t have a choice.”
 
Samnang’s mother filters the water the best she can, and sometimes boils it. But the children still get sick.
 
“I remember one time I was so sick that my parents had to take me to the hospital,” recalls Samnang. “I had to miss school for three days.”
 
One day, he accidentally fell into the open pit well. 

“I was very scared! I got hurt when I fell, and I felt so cold. I shouted for help.”
 
Samnang is the only Christian in his family, and he prayed that help would come. His brother, who had seen him fall into the well, pulled him out with a rope.

“After that, I didn’t want to go back to the well. I was afraid to fall in again. I prayed that God would make another way for us to get water,” said the boy.
 
So Samnang was very excited when CBN dug a new well with a pump near his home! Now his family and the whole community have fresh, clean drinking water. The open pit well has been covered up, and there have been no more accidents. Samnang’s family was so touched by CBN’s help that they prayed to become Christians, too.

“I am so happy that everyone in my family believes in Jesus now,” said Samnang. "And I like the water from our new well!  It’s clean and it tastes delicious! Thank you, CBN! I don’t have to be afraid to get water anymore.”

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