Pastor Gerald Dzawo has built schools in Africa, his home country, through his work with the mission organization Youth World Africa.
Known affectionately as Pastor G, he couldn’t understand why, after the schools were built, outfitted with materials and staffed with trained teachers, very few children were showing up for class.
The problem and the solution were in the water. Dzawo said most of the available water in Zimbabwe is contaminated and kids and their families were sick most of the time.
A simple solution – an easy-to-use water purification kit, small enough to slip into a pocket – has the power to impact the lives of thousands of South Africans.
The residents don’t have access to tap water and often walk miles or a source of any water at all – it isn’t treated for harmful bacteria and the source water is often shared with humans and animals according to Dwazo.
“We built the schools but could not figure out why the children weren’t coming. They were sick from the water,” Dwazo said. “They know it (water) will make them sick, but they have no other choice,” Dwazo added.
So far, 50 kits have been purchased and sent to South Africa. Pastor G has a goal to raise enough money to purchase 100 more in the first quarter of the year.
Pastor G is conducting a fundraising campaign to raise money to purchase even more kits to be distributed in Zimbabwe. Each kit costs $50, but if cared for properly, can provide daily water filtration for 15 to 20 years. Each kit comes with a large syringe that is used to backwash the filter once it has been used. The simple process of backwashing the contaminates out of the device is the secret to keeping the devices usable for many years.
Youth World Africa pivoted at the beginning of 2025 from building schools to purchasing the water filtration systems and providing distribution and education in Zimbabwe. He gladly will demonstrate results turning dirty, contaminated water into clear, drinkable water in a minute or less.
“I do this process, and the water comes out clean, but few will actually taste the water after,” Dwazo chuckles.
Activities are being planned to raise awareness about the need for the filtration systems and to raise awareness about the water quality issues in South Africa. Pastor G said a Walk for Water event, a 5k fundraiser, is in the planning stages for this summer. “This will raise awareness and be a fundraiser,” Pastor G said.
At the end of the year the Youth World Africa organization will host a Taste of Africa banquet featuring dishes native to South Africa.
Pastor G has been working in Zimbabwe on the school project since 2007. Besides building schools, he has been involved in providing training, equipment and school supplies to those willing to teach children. Youth World Africa also facilitates mission trips to the region.
The remarkable results the water purification kit yields are only eclipsed by Dwazo’s personal journey from a kid growing up in Zimbabwe to life in the United States – Burlington, Iowa specifically as pastor to two Baptist churches – Oak Street and West Avenue Baptist Churches.
Through his ministry in the Baptist Church, he often relates stories from his youth growing up in Zimbabwe, and his journey thousands of miles away to Iowa. Often those who listen remark that he should write a book.
“When God Writes The Story: Embracing His Goodness Through It All” has been published and a book launching is planned for this spring.
Pastor G writes in the introduction, “If someone had told me years ago that my life would turn out like this, I would have laughed. Not a polite chuckle either – one of those full-belly laughs that leave you gasping for air.”
He continues, “I mean, who could imagine a story so filled with twists and turns, heartbreak and redemption, wrong turns and God-sized plot twists? Certainly not me. Yet here I am, a living testimony to what happens when God takes the pen and writes your story.”
The stories contained in the pages of When God Writes the Story are snapshots from Pastor G’s journey — “moments where God’s hand was undeniably present, shaping me, refining me, and drawing me closer to Him. Some of those moments came with tears, others with laughter, but all of them point to one unshakable truth: God is inherently good, and His goodness isn’t dependent on my circumstances.”
Dwazo has been in the United States since 2012 and Iowa since 2014.
The book, When God Writes the Story: Embracing His Goodness Through It All is available at Lulu.com.
