Unto Couldn't Do It Without You

Mike lives in Zimbabwe. He has a wife and six children. Without a functioning well in their village, life is difficult. His family does not have easy access to clean drinking water.  Depressed and hopeless, Mike feels like he has no purpose.  He drinks often to numb his pain.

Rosalia lives in Guatemala, but Spanish is not her first language. She is a member of an unreached people group called the Quiche. She does not know how to read, and often feels lonely. Her husband, Marco*, leaves the family during the week to work. Rosalia also wants to provide for her family, but finding a job while he is away has been difficult.

Leila* lives in the Middle East with her family. In their isolated village her family has access to few resources. When they ran out of coal in the dead of winter, they had no way to heat their home.

Across the world, real people like Mike, Rosalia, and Leila live in some of the hardest-to-reach places and have real physical needs. In the past year, you have helped local Unto^® staff teams reach these people with immediate physical assistance while also creating opportunities for them to hear about the hope of Jesus. 

This World Humanitarian Day, we recognize all the individuals who have helped reach those who are suffering through the gift of clean water, food and agriculture, or critical aid. Your generosity and prayers make it possible for local staff teams, serving in the toughest places, to meet needs and share the message of hope with those who have never heard.   

The gift of aid allows local staff teams to access unreached people and build credibility. They do not require individuals to sign up for anything or watch something. Instead, they identify needs within the communities they serve and work to meet them because that is what Jesus would do. Over time, as relationships form, they are able to share more about Him.

Here are just a few examples of how people like you enable ministry in the toughest places.  

Clean Water

Local Unto staff knew Marira village would benefit from a clean water project, but they did not know how deep the impact would go.

When the local staff arrived to help repair the community’s broken water well, the village head called the men together to help.

“When I went to the borehole, I had thought that I would help repair it and continue with my daily lifestyle. Little did I know that God had a plan for my life,” Mike recalled.

After the well repair, the team had the opportunity to share about Jesus with the men who had gathered to help. Mike’s life was changed forever by the message.

“I felt a spark of hope ignited and for the first time in years I felt seen and heard,” he said. 

Today Mike has a relationship with Jesus. Thanks to many people like you, a local team was able to serve Mike’s village —  meeting his and many others’ physical and spiritual needs. 

Food & Agriculture

Food and agriculture projects take a variety of forms. In some cases, Unto packs nutritious food, like beans and rice, and ships them to places where families may not always be able to afford or access adequate nutrition.

Unto also hosts agriculture workshops that equip people with the knowledge and supplies they need to grow their own food. Often, families are able to grow enough vegetables for themselves and also sell the extra produce at local markets to provide for other basic needs.

In one area of Guatemala, a group of women wanted to provide more for their families. Unto was able to equip women like Rosalia, with the knowledge to grow and produce their own food.

Rosalia was especially interested in the devotionals staff gave during the training. Eventually, she responded to the message of Jesus! She intends to share her newfound knowledge and faith with her family and neighbors.

Critical Aid

Critical Aid includes clothing, water filters, medical supplies, hygiene items, school supplies and much more. It is usually packed by volunteers at our warehouses in the United States and shipped to local staff teams serving in the toughest places. 

When field staff in the Middle East learned about Leila’s* situation, they were eager to help using the critical aid people like you help send. Leila and her family live with few resources in an isolated village. When the family ran out of coal in the dead of winter, they had no way to heat their home. 

The local team was able to provide Leila’s family with coal to warm their bodies. The team also shared hope that warmed their hearts.

Leila responded to the message of Jesus and then said, “The [hope] warmed me more than the coal.”

This World Humanitarian Day, we thank you for partnering with Unto to help reach people in the toughest places. Your prayers and support are a vital part of humanitarian work about the world. We could not do this work without you.

*Names changed for security purposes