In Nov-Dec 2008, we spent 4 weeks drilling wells and repairing/ replacing pumps in the north of Burkina Faso.

Water is Life!

"Clean water is essential for life, but one in eight of the world's population does not have access to it. This, and lack of safe sanitation, result in over two million people dying from water-related diseases every year. " (Water Aid website)??click for larger picture In the north of Burkina Faso, in the dryness of the Sahel on the edge of the Sahara desert, the lack of water is a major problem. Women have to walk miles with a bucket on their head to find clean water.

Often there are long waits as everyone comes to the one pump. Sometimes the pump is broken. Often people make do with unclean water from surface pools, or from a hand-dug well that gets polluted by stuff falling into it. The local pastors want to provide clean water for their communities, and we want to support them in this vision.

The Need in the Burkina Faso Sahel

Early in 2008, Steve, Chuck, Seydou, Pierre, and I did a trip round the province to look at likely places where we could work with the local pastors.

The photo at the top of the page is Lila, one of the Fulani villages where we wanted to drill a well. Pastor Samuel has an open invitation to teach the gospel there, and wants to do something to help the village. About 700 people get their water at these hand-dug water-holes, the same wells that are used to water hundreds of cows, sheep, and goats.

Deou is another village with a striking need. The town used to have springs flowing years ago, but over the last few years, the pumps in half the town have dried up. People end up walking up to 14km in hot season to find water.

The 2008 Programme

Teams came out from Glenwood Church in Cardiff and from Hatteras Island Christian Fellowship in NC to join us as we worked with Friends in Action to provide water to these areas.

It was a hard month, and we didn't find as much water as we hoped - we ended up drilling 9 holes, but only getting 3 with water. We also had problems with illness, breakdowns, etc, which delayed and disrupted the programme. Chuck, the FiA worker said it was the most difficult trip he had done. However, as well as the three new pumps in, we have replaced 5 old, broken ones with new ones:

•    Deou: One new pump (in the pastor's land) and two replacements.
•    Lila was dry - a great disppointment.
•    Tasmakat: Two new pumps: one in town, and one in the pastor's yard. Also one replacement.
•    Cekol Koba was dry.
•    Coffalboy: one pump replaced.
•    Gorom-Gorom (on the grounds of the Christian Primary School we are building), was dry. This was a big disappointment. We have repaired a nearby pump, which we can use for the school for a temporary solution. But we are looking at other long-term options, including water harvesting, and locating water elsewhere.

It was disheartening not to find more water - more so, of course, for the villagers than us. It did emphasise the need for water here, and the impact of a good ministry in this area. The work definitely left a good testimony everywhere we went, and opened up many opportunities to share Christ.

The Future

More Wells...? We need to continue to look for a solution for water for the school. And there is clearly a lot of need for wells in the region - we have had a number of requests from villages and local politicians to come and help them find water. It costs a lot of money (about £4,000 for a complete new well and pump), and requires a big investment of time and energy, and we would need to re-examine certain aspects of the way we would do it to be most effective.

Please pray about whether this is something we should be doing regularly, and for a solution for water for the school.

Pump Maintenance. We have also seen the need for a good pump-repair system in the region. Seydou is going to do a pump repair course, with a view to using this skill alongside his evangelism. He is also hoping to work with the well-drilling teams from time to time, which would help him support himself in ministry.

Please pray for him, that God will guide him if this is something he should be regularly involved in.

Thank you!