Getting the Whole Gospel to the Whole World

Lifewater and Cityteam International work together on pilot project in Ethiopia.

(San Jose, California) – Two nonprofits forged an agreement to conduct a new pilot program in Ethiopia that pairs local water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) experts with local church planters to facilitate physical and spiritual well-being in remote, underserved communities. Cityteam International and Lifewater International will work together beginning in the Oromia region of Ethiopia to reach households with the tools for improved health and an opportunity to learn about and follow Jesus.

In the remote areas of central and southern Ethiopia, Lifewater’s WASH Promoters will coordinate with Cityteam International’s disciple making trainers and coaches to reach each household, allowing families to access the benefits of improved WASH and a journey toward Jesus. Families will continue to be served regardless of religion, and both organizations are committed to the proliferation of both practical and spiritual life-giving knowledge through personal, natural interactions.

Currently, over 600 million people do not have safe drinking water and over 2.4 billion lack improved sanitation – even a simple latrine. Significant overlap exists between these populations and those unreached with the Gospel, especially in the rural areas of Africa and Asia. Lifewater and Cityteam International’s partnership will primarily serve communities in these areas.

Lifewater is a non-denominational Christian development organization committed to ending the world’s water and sanitation crisis. Since 1977, Lifewater has served over 2.5 million people in over 40 countries with safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and hygiene behaviors that stop the spread of water-borne disease.

Cityteam International trains local leaders to launch and sustain Disciple Making Movements by forming small groups that focus on discovering God’s will in His Word, obeying what they learn, and helping others in their natural networks of friends and family to do the same. Cityteam International VP of International Ministries, Harry Brown, says, “Disciple Making Movements are a revolution in the making because they are Simple, they are Sustainable and they are Scalable.” Cityteam International has worked for the past ten years, using a low-cost, multiplication model to help start over 35,000 churches in more than 50 countries

“The ‘good news’ is something that should be felt as well as heard. This partnership is a perfect way to make that happen,” continued Harry Brown.

“We are excited to start this new partnership with Cityteam International because it allows us to be good stewards of our relationships with vulnerable families in unreached and underserved areas of the world while remaining within our core abilities of work,” said Justin Narducci, Lifewater’s President/CEO. “We are making the most of our current opportunities and creating more opportunities to reach people with the whole Gospel to the whole person. Working together, we leverage our respective strengths and provide a service that is all encompassing – something that would be otherwise unobtainable on our own efforts.”

Another pilot program partnering Lifewater and Cityteam International is scheduled to begin in 2016 in Uganda.

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Lifewater International is a non-profit Christian water development organization dedicated to effectively serving vulnerable children and families by partnering with underserved communities to overcome water poverty. With experience in more than 40 countries since 1977, Lifewater serves people of all faiths, focusing on contextually appropriate water sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) development. For more information, contact Christine Zurbach (czurbach@lifewater.org) or visit www.lifewater.org. Lifewater International is based in San Luis Obispo, CA.

For information about Cityteam International contact Robin Sihler (rsihler@cityteam.org) or visit www.cityteam.org/international. Cityteam International is based in San Jose, CA.