Lately it seems that I have been surrounded by this information. I'm not going to lay out for you all that I have learned, but to know that by the time you finish reading this, the probability that a child has needlessly died because they have little or no access to clean water is enough of a reason for me to try and help make a difference.
This last weekend, I had an amazing opportunity to be a part of a manual well drilling training. After moving to Oklahoma a few months ago, multiple friends and family told me about a local organization called Water4. I of course, with a passion of working in Kenya to help out with this global crisis, jumped at the chance of joining the guys for a weekend of being in the field and learning from those that have been doing it for years.
Water4 has an inspiring process of working to empower locals to start their own businesses with the equipment, training, and resources to help bring clean water to their own communities. A manual well drilling team and process uses a variety of augers, drill bits, percussion instruments, ropes, pulleys, and locally made pumps allows for a more sustainable way of working for those in need.
The training I received covered the global need for such work, their strategic solution and process. We covered a basic overview of what to consider in the drilling process such as community communication, site selection, soil and rock types, hydrology, etc.
Here are a few pictures from my time there:
The picture above shows how the auger is used to drill down section by section.
Once a hard rock layer is reached, ropes, pulleys, and heavy percussion tools are necessary to make headway. And of course, don't forget the hard effort it takes to lift it all and work as a team.
This final picture is an example of heating pvc pipe to make different connections and build our own pump on site.
I unfortunately was not able to attend the final two days of the training to see the finished product, but that is a taste of what I was able to see and be a part of. I know that I didn't do justice to sharing with you the process and work that goes into it all, but please check out their web site to learn more at www.water4.org. They have some pretty interesting videos that you would probably enjoy as well.
Not only did I love that chance to learn and practice these techniques, but greatly enjoyed the company. The other men that were a part of the training are headed all over the world with desires to follow Jesus and serve those in need through empowerment and well drilling. Not only do we have a common passion of serving our brothers and sisters with a physical need, but also to share that whoever drinks of the water Jesus gives, will never be thirsty again (John 4:14). Seeing more of the bigger picture of how God is continuously working around the world is pretty cool.
Connecting back to what I started with, I feel privileged to have learned more about one way that I and others can help make a difference. So if you ever get overwhelmed hearing about the most recent statistics and feel that it is impossible to do anything about it, maybe try to remember that God is still in control and that each number represents a single and real child we have the opportunity to love. We may not be able to change the whole world for all children, but we can try to help the life of one child.
Have a blessed day and thanks for reading!
