Surrounded by water, but without a dependable supply
On an island, water may be everywhere and still be hard to drink safely. In jungle villages, a nearby spring or watering hole is not always a protected source. Families need water every day for drinking, cooking, and washing, even when the rain stops.
These are remote communities where roads and large drilling rigs are often out of reach. Carrying water and bringing in supplies both take effort. Our work grew out of listening to the families and finding a way to build wells with equipment they could use where they live.
The dry season changed our plans
From 2005 to 2011, rainwater catchment was our only water solution. We installed gutters and storage tanks in island communities, where getting materials to a home was a job in itself. The systems were expensive and worked during about nine rainy months. When the rain stopped for three months, families still needed another source.
When water makes a family sick
Water contaminated with germs can cause diarrhea and other intestinal infections. Safe water also makes everyday hygiene possible. For a family, preventable illness can mean days spent recovering or caring for someone instead of going to school or earning a living.
A cycle of missed school and lost income
When children are sick, they miss classes. When parents are sick—or stay home to care for a sick child—they can lose working days and income. With less money coming in, school fees and other education costs become harder to pay.
Illness interrupts learning, lost work strains the family budget, and fewer resources make it harder to get ahead. The same problems can repeat year after year. This is why access to clean water is tied so closely to the opportunities a family has.
Clean water helps change that cycle
A reliable source of safe water can help reduce preventable illness and the time spent collecting water. That can mean more days in class, more time for parents to work, and fewer demands on a tight family budget. Water does not do everything on its own, but it gives families a stronger foundation for the work they are already doing.
Growing up, graduating, giving back
Young people from families we have helped with clean water are now college graduates working in medicine and education. They have built on their own hard work and their families’ commitment to reach those milestones.
For us, that is what this work is about. A well is a practical piece of a much larger story: children growing up, continuing their education, and using their skills to serve others. Clean water helps make room for those possibilities.
Closer to home
Finding water and carrying it home takes time and strength. A well nearby can make that daily task easier. With Simón’s help, families put their effort into building a source of their own and learn how to look after it.
The work continues after drilling
A family’s part does not end when the auger comes out of the ground. They clear mud and sand from the well and learn to keep it clean. Simón helps with the pump, checks on the wells, and handles small repairs. We build the pumps from PVC so they can be taken apart and repaired when needed.
Water families can count on
We want families to have water they can count on. Cleaning out the sediment is part of that work, but even clear water can contain germs. Boiling is the practical way to disinfect drinking water in these communities. Keeping it in a clean, covered container after it cools helps protect it until it is used.
