September 2006 Newsletter
Water for Sudan had an extremely productive 2006 drilling season.
Possibly the most thrilling news of all is this: Water for Sudan purchased its own drilling rig. It was ordered in February, built in March and shipped to arrive in Kenya in mid-June. Salva drove the rig to our storage facility in Sudan in late June, just before the rains came. This is very exciting! With our own rig we can drill more wells, more quickly each season and thereby help more people. We are not at the mercy of a contractor's schedule and the other vagaries of East African life. We can also reduce our cost from more than $10,000 per well to about $5,000 per well.
Meanwhile Salva and his team went into Sudan in late-January, 2006. They chose several appropriate sites for the season's wells, trained villagers in the use of these wells and built storage facilities for our equipment. They also laid important groundwork for additional drilling in future seasons.
After resolving difficulties with our drilling contractor and coping with a transportation accident and its related health issues, Salva and his team began drilling wells in early May, 2006. Due to the onset of the rainy season and other unavoidable delays we were only able to drill two wells this year.
- The first well was drilled in northern Tonj County in the village of Aliek. This well was dedicated to the Bachs of Rochester, NY, who generously donated the money for its drilling. The community leaders of Aliek decided to locate the well inside of the village's school courtyard. The entire community has access to it but it is meant specifically to help the children of the community, the ones who will be most able to improve the community's future. We believe that the well serves more than 6,000 people from the immediate and surrounding areas. This well is about ninety five miles from the wells we dug last year.
- A second well was drilled in northern Tonj County as well, in a village called Makol. This well was dedicated to the Jones' of Virginia, who generously donated the money for its drilling. The well is serving about 3,000 people. It is about fifty miles from the first well.
Salva is excited to go back to Sudan this Fall and drill!
Your continued support of this very worthwhile project is most appreciated. Donations are welcome at the address listed below.
Thank you very much, and God bless.
Sincerely,
Salva Dut and Christopher Moore