Without a doubt, it is my belief that if GOD were not behind what we are doing, this project would not exist. If one reads the chronology of how this project has come about (available as a download in the DOCUMENTS section of this website) ... it is easy to see why Eleanor and I say that we are on "GOD's roller coaster". Clearly HE is in charge. Although we try to be sensitive to HIS guidance, we never cease to be amazed by the overwhelming blessings that HE lays before us.

Our ministry started at an international conference in Nairobi Kenya of a Christian organization in 2005 that we attended as the direct result of the comments that have been made to us 10 years earlier by a prominent individual in Kenya. The comment was, "David, when you come to Kenya I want you to help my people have clean water ... we can sometimes lose a whole village to waterborne diseases." At the time of the comment, we were in no position to travel and spend the time needed to develop and support such a ministry. For that matter, we had never considered such activity in any part of our lives. When we attended the conference in 2005 we were going in faith to seek GOD's will with respect to that comment. When we got to the conference in Kenya, the individual whom we sought to meet with was not there. During the week we were approached by many Africans having need of assistance with specific projects ... but only one of them presented to us a project involving water. His project involved hand digging water wells. This individual subsequently became a key participant in helping us to form the water project that now exists.

Accountability, and being a similar mind (both in respect to the work of the project, and in respect to the spiritual commitment of its participants) are essential to the success of such a venture. I say this from experience. Two of the individuals that we consider to be key to the establishment of our organization in Kenya eventually proved themselves to be untrustworthy and unaccountable and had to be removed from the project. Even though they were essential to the establishment of the organization, had they continued with the project it would have gotten nowhere. The Kenyan nationals who remain with the project (and there are many) are fully committed to the project ... and as a result, the project is now thriving. Because we knew that accountability could be an issue, when the Kenyan organization's Constitution (Bylaws) was developed, procedures were written into it on how to handle a non-cooperative associate. (A copy of the Constitution is included in the DOCUMENTS section of this website).

Dealing with people of another culture can be a challenging experience. In order to help prepare for that I suggest reading a book entitled "African Friends and Money Matters". This book opens one's eyes to the cultural differences between the Western World and the Third World such as that found in Africa. I highly recommend reading it before getting involved workng in Africa.

When we returned home from the 2005 trip, I left with a commitment to try to help those who are hand digging wells accomplish their work in a safer manner. Without knowing how large a commitment I was making, I promised to do my best to provide to them a (one) water well drilling rig. I had no idea how much of a commitment that was. The water well drilling rigs that I was familiar with were huge and very expensive. During the year that followed, I investigated what was available and found that there were some relatively affordable small American-made water well drilling rigs available that would meet this need. Although my professional experience included the supervision of the drilling of a large water wells here in the US, I had no "hands on" experience, and no experience whatsoever with small drill rigs. I therefore chose to attend a class given in California by Lifewater (see TRAINING in the DOCUMENTS section of this website). Most of the people that attended the class had no experience whatsoever with the drilling of water wells. (I say that to encourage those so inclined to get this training for themselves.)

If you are going to as we did, and establish an organization within a foreign country which will be working autonomously once the program is launched, then once you have an initial contact in place, it is important then to establish a Board of Directors of local nationals. In our case, none of the Board Members had any real knowledge of water well digging or drilling, nor did any of them have any real business experience. This being the case, on later trips to Kenya it became incumbent upon me to teach them their duties, rights, and responsibilities. Our Board is made up of both men and women. It is important that the Board formulate goals for their organization. It is also important that they formulate rules. I have attached a copy of the "Constitution" (Bylaws) used on this Kenya project in the DOCUMENTS section of this website as an example to follow. It is important that the workers and their leadership clearly understand that they work for the Board of Directors.

Although our workers are paid a fair wage, our Board Members serve without compensation other than a minor stipend to compensate them for attending Board meetings. Their reward in heaven. Each time we return to Kenya, I try to do something to benefit the workers and Board Members. On one trip each received a Bible, on another they each got project specific T-shirts; on yet another I was able to bring in solar lanterns for them. (Only one or two of our 47 workers or 10 Board Members have electricity their houses.)

At the suggestion of our home church board, in order to provide security for the equipment once it arrived in Kenya we purchased land and built a building that serves as a caretaker residence, an office, and a secure storage for the equipment. Before the caretaker and his family moved in, this building was used for classroom style teaching of both the Board and the workers.

Having gone through the training provided by Lifewater, on our first trips to Kenya to meet with the team of workers (almost all of whom had been hand digging wells in the past) I used materials downloaded from Lifewater Canada to perform classroom style training. (By the time of our first trip to the area where the workers were, our first drill rig had not yet arrived.)

Getting the equipment through customs is a major effort that deserves dialogue of its own for which I do not have space. Each encounter is unique... none are easy. Governmental delays, red tape, and sometimes even attempts at extortion are not uncommon in Third World countries.

In December of 2006, we returned to Kenya and were with the team one day after the arrival of the first drill rig and were therefore present for the drilling of the first water well. Eventually, we registered the organization in Kenya as a water well drilling/digging contractor and as a not-for-profit organization.

Some of the wells that are dug or drilled are paid for by the Kenyan government or by individuals contracting with the project; others have been sponsored by donors in United States or the United Kingdom. For those wells which have been donated, the recipient community must establish a local organization to oversee the well's operation and maintenance. This includes their assessing the users of the well a fee for its use. Once sufficient funds have been collected to guarantee maintenance of the well, the community is to continue charging the fee and use its proceeds for a community benefit project such as reroofing a school, installing latrines for a school or church, etc. We also encourage training of the community leaders in matters of sanitation.

Wells that are hand dug or drilled for individuals or the government in Kenya must be done under written contract. A copy of the contract which we have developed for this purpose is included among the various items in the DOCUMENTS section of this website.

Undertaking this effort has required considerably more time than I had ever anticipated. I knew that my time in Kenya will be fully committed to the project but I had no idea that I would be spending 30 or more hours a week on planning, training, coordinating, advising etc. I am on the Internet, or on the telephone almost daily on water project related issues with our project Board Members, lead workers, associates here in the US that are doing similar work in Africa, governmental officials, suppliers, shippers, people who call as result of the website, etc. Until a recent turnover of personnel there, II personally knew every member of the Kenyan counsel general's office in Los Angeles. I have met in Kenya with a number of high-ranking government officials, and have subsequently corresponded with a number of them. I "wear a great number of hats" in what I am doing. Among other things I am a teacher, counselor, advisor, witness, brother, servant, and a fruit inspector. (The Bible does not call me to be a judge, but it tells me to inspect one's "fruit" of their life.) The responsibility is serious, the commitment is substantial, the rewards are great.

Among other things, we are you now attempting to network with others of similar interests who want to provide water supplies in Africa. By networking we hope to be able to avoid having to "reinvent the wheel". We also hope to improve our abilities to access grant funds by presenting a broader and larger exposure to our work. United together, without giving up any autonomy, all could benefit. If you are involved in developing water supplies anywhere in Africa, we welcome your contacting us.