Work has begun on one of the largest solar arrays in South Carolina -- to power Water Mission International’s world headquarters in Charleston. It’s exciting news that, when I think about it, translates into thousands of lives that are going to be saved.

The town of Centro Union Aucayo, on the banks of a creek in the Amazon River valley of Peru, clearly needed safe drinking water. An earlier effort by a previous non-profit organization had created water infrastructure, including a run-down water tower with a distribution network and water-tap stands throughout the community.

After a 30-minute boat ride down the Amazon River from the city of Iquitos, Peru, we reached the entrance to a tributary creek that would take us the village of Centro Union Aucayo. During normal times, navigating this winding creek through the Peruvian jungle would be easy, but these were not normal times.

Every single day, more than 5,000 people die from waterborne illnesses because they lack access to safe drinking water. In many developing countries, people walk miles to a water source to collect often-contaminated water and then carry it home. With one gallon of water weighing over 8 pounds, a five-gallon water jug is 40 pounds. In most cases, the task of fetching the water is left to the women and children, many carrying as much as 30-60 pounds of water.