WELLS BRING HOPE: THE FULFILLMENT OF A VISION
Q. How did “Wells Bring Hope” get started?
A. “Wells Bring Hope” was founded in March 2008 by the women of Salon Forum, a Los Angeles based group dedicated to personal and cultural enrichment, founded by Barbara Goldberg in 1993. They were inspired by a talk given by former L.A. Country District Attorney, Gil Garcetti who took up this cause after five visits to West Africa beginning in 2001. In 2009, “Wells Bring Hope” and Gil Garcetti formed a partnership dedicated to saving lives in West Africa.
Q. What is your mission and vision?
A. Wells Bring Hope (WBH) is committed to drilling wells to bring safe water and good sanitation to rural villages in Niger, West Africa, one of the three poorest countries in the world. Our vision is to save lives with safe water.
Q. What made you focus on water when there are so many other needs?
A. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) "No other humanitarian intervention produces a more dramatic effect on lives than access to safe water and good sanitation."
Q. How do you fulfill your mission and vision?
A. Wells Bring Hope drills deep water wells, often called “borehole” wells, because they go deep into the ground, to the depths of 250’-300’, tapping into the artesian water level, where water is clean, safe and plentiful.
Q. Why are these wells needed?
A. In West Africa, the most common cause of death and disease comes from contaminated water. One out of four children dies before the age of 5. Babies often die from what to us would be a simple case of diarrhea. 40% of people in Niger have trachoma, which, when left untreated, causes blindness. And sad to say, it is most often untreated. Other water-borne diseases, like guinea worm and bilharzias, can cause excruciating chronic pain, arrested development and deformities.
Q. Why are you working in Niger?
A. Niger is one of the three poorest countries in the world, according to the 2010 UN Development Index. Niger needs 12,000 wells but the government, although a democracy, is also very poor and can only fulfill 10% of that need. 61% earn less than $1 a day. 68% have no access to clean water and 87% have no access to good sanitation. Their life expectancy: 53 years.
Q. Who bears most of the burden of getting water?
A. Women and girls. They walk an average of 4-6 miles a day, sometimes more in the dry season. The task is so labor intensive that girls must help their mothers and thus do not go to school. Women spend most of their day getting water, having little time to do anything else. They suffer chronic pain from this physical burden and constant stress from having so little time to get all their chores done.
Q. What happens when a well is drilled?
A. Lives are transformed instantly and dramatically. Childhood mortality drops by 65%. Water-borne diseases are virtually eliminated. Education becomes a reality for girls. There is hope for their future!
Q. Who drills the wells? Are you partnered with another organization?
A. At the outset, we wanted to insure that the money we raised would go where it is most needed, not into the pockets of government officials. The best way to do that is to work with an NGO. (non-governmental organization). We chose World Vision because:
- It is highly respected and the largest U.S. based international relief and development organization, larger than CARE and Save the Children combined.
- World Vision has extensive experience in West Africa, having started with water development in Ghana in 1985. In Niger, there is a team of highly experienced water engineers with their own dedicated drilling equipment. In the area where we are drilling, the success rate, e.g., finding water the first time they drill, is 80%.
Q. What else does Wells Bring Hope do as part of every well project?
A.
- We continue to work with every village for 15+ years
Drilling a well is only the first step in saving lives. People must be educated on good sanitation and proper hygiene and that is what we do, in conjunction with our partner, World Vision. We install latrines and convey why it is critical to use them, instead of the “grazing” that villagers are used to, which can contaminate the water supply.
It is an on-going process to monitor and insure the health of a village. World Vision is on the ground in every area where we drill, with its Area Development Program personnel visiting each village about once a month. This is critical to insuring that a village thrives. Villagers learn drip farming, how to use the “grey water, enabling them to grow vegetables and improve their diet; women can grow enough to sell in the local market.
- We give micro-loans to the women in every village
An integral part of our project is giving micro-loans to women in villages where we drill a well. When women no longer have to spend much of their day getting water, they have the time to create small businesses of their own. Women need little help aside from seed money to get started. They know what to do. They form micro-credit enterprises and work together, doing different things, like raising chickens, goats, growing vegetables, making peanut oil, millet cakes, soap, and selling them in the local market. They feel tremendous pride and a sense of accomplishment and the quality of life for their family noticeably improves.
- And women are empowered even more
In Niger, the government mandates that the committee delegated to maintain the well must be comprised of half women. This is highly progressive, given that women had little or no say in village life before a well was drilled. At the outset, there are communities meeting where women can state what further needs they have to improve quality of life. This insures that any support provided is fulfilling expressed needs.
Q. How do you decide which villages get a well?
A. If a village has no clean water source, they have priority for getting a well. If they have only one or two water points but it is still not enough for their community, they also qualify as in need. If there is a high rate of water-borne diseases, like guinea worm or trachoma, they are higher on the priority list. Another factor is community participation. A village must express a need for safe water and provide some of their own money towards drilling it. They also must help in site selection and agree to do the maintenance and repair work on an on-going basis.
Q. How long does a well last?
A. When talking about the longevity of a well, it is not the water supply that we are referencing but rather the life of the pump. If a well is maintained efficiently over time, it will last about 25-30 years. Over time, parts wear out and need to be replaced. A pump that is not as well maintained may only last 20 years. The deeper the well, the harder it is to maintain because of the high pressure on the pump. If it is a sandy area, sand can come up with the water and put stress on the pump. When a pump breaks down, people have no choice but to use the traditional water source they relied on before or appeal to another village for help.Therefore, villagers work very hard to quickly repair whatever is wrong with the well.
Q. Are your wells sustainable? What if they break down, what happens then?
A. The most important aspect of drilling a well is to insure its sustainability. In many parts of the world, well-meaning organizations have provided wells but not a way to sustain them. How do we sustain our wells?
When a well is drilled, we begin the process of teaching villagers about how to maintain it and empower them to take ownership of it. Ownership of the well belongs to the village, meaning that they are responsible for its maintenance. This is very important for building pride and a sense of responsibility. Every family contributes a small amount for a maintenance fund and they know where to go for parts.
Q. How much does a well cost and does anyone match your donations?
A. We raise $5,600 for a well. World Vision matches everything we raise, dollar for dollar.
Q. Is it true that you have the best financial model of any water cause?
A. Yes. We have the best financial model of any NGO drilling wells anywhere in the world. We know that is a bold statement but here’s how it works: Noted above, we raise $5,600 for a well, which is matched by World Vision. They then provide other funds over 15 years while working with a village to improve quality of life–$18,000-22,000 per village. The result? Roughly $30,000 worth of life-transforming services delivered to a village, or 5 times the impact of the initial donation!
Q. How much of donor money goes into the project?
A. Wells Bring Hope is an all-volunteer organization; there are no paid employees. All of our operating expenses are funded by a private family foundation, not donor money. Our operating expenses have run just 3.1% of total donations since our inception.100% of donations made to Wells Bring Hope go directly into the project; World Vision’s operating expenses account for 15% of our donations.
Q. Is a donation tax deductible?
A. Yes. Wells Bring Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit California corporation, EIN #27-3123341.Your contribution is fully deductible according to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
Q. What have you accomplished?
A. As of July 2011, Wells Bring Hope has raised funds for 63 wells, bringing safe water to over 45,000 people. Three of our wells were drilled in Mali so that we could be part of a new solar panel energy generating system that is superior to a hand pump system, as cost effective and fully sustainable. This system will be coming to Niger in the near future. We are proud to claim Panda Restaurant Group and Clif Bar Family Foundation among our corporate supporters and have grants pending with the Coca Cola Foundation and Streisand Foundation.
Q. How else can I help besides making a donation?
A. Wells Bring Hope’s Education Outreach program teaches children of all ages about the water crisis in West Africa and many schools have started fundraising projects on our behalf. Do you know a school that might help? They can start a “Water Circle,” their own fundraising project with a page on our website.
Might your company consider funding wells? Your church, synagogue, Rotary Club or another community group that you’re part of? Any other contacts that might help us? Gil Garcetti and Barbara Goldberg are available for speaking engagements. There are also lots of volunteer opportunities for people of all ages and experience.
Q. How can I find out more information about “Wells Bring Hope”?
A. Go to the website, www.wellsbringhope.org. Watch our video, filmed by us in Niger. It conveys the problems and solution in a very personal and emotional way. Brochures available upon request. For more information, contact Barbara@wellsbringhope.org
