Success Stories from Our Members in the field

Benefits of Fresh-Water Wells Trickle Into Entire Community, Christian Children's Fund

Drought is a recurring calamity in East Africa. And drought often brings extreme malnutrition, famine-related death and sometimes chaos.

To stave off some of the effects of drought, Christian Children's Fund, an American nongovernmental organization, began involving communities throughout Kenya in a major well-drilling program.

CCF arranged for a powerful rotary drill to be built in Pennsylvania in 2000, and by March 2001 the "big rig" was on the job in Kenya.

CCF took great care to involve communities, so they would feel ownership of their new well and take good care of it. Each community cleared the site for its well, guarded the well-drilling equipment, invested funds in the project, and formed a management committee to make sure the well keeps working.

As of August 2002, CCF had drilled 32 successful wells, with an average yield of over 2,000 gallons per hour. The wells are serving over 44,000 people and 190,000 farm animals.

The wells increase food production, and the clean water they provide improves the overall health of communities. Furthermore, children no longer have to miss hours of school every day to haul water from distant sources.

By working with communities, CCF has improved local economies, reduced hunger, raised school attendance and, perhaps best of all, averted future disasters.