Congo Water Project
Fred Suter, September 2013
I have thought much about the problem of lack of potable water in south central Congo. Dr. John Martens, who travels to the Congo annually, has also mentioned that there is no running water at any of the former Mennonite Mission stations in that area even through several of those centers has a school, clinic, or hospital. Since all plants, animals, and humans, require water to live, there is hope to make life a little easier for the residents of this area of the Congo.
I believe the time has come to establish a "Congo Water Project" Fund with the money channeled through AIMM in Goshen, IN. The main focus of this effort is to estalish a dependable water source for these stations and villages. This money is to be used specifically for the digging and casing of water wells and the installation of a water pumping system(s).
The plan for "Congo Water Project" is to first dig two wells in the village of Ndjoko Punda in the Kasai province, one of which could also supply additional water to the hospital. (The RAM pump supplies about 250 gallons of water overnight.) Water from the handdug wells would be new potable water sources for the village.
We hope to assemble a small group of dedicated individuals in this area of Congo to dig some wells. They will be trained on the digging process using a hand auger and installing plastic well casing. Then a pump will be installed and a test will be done to check the water quality. The original group of well drillers can then be divided with each sub-group adding new individuals to be trained in the well-digging process.
After two wells have been successfully installed in Ndjoko Punda, other wells can be dug at the other former Mennonite Mission stations and other surrounding villages. Part of our effort will be to work with hardware dealers in the Congo to import well casing materials and pumps so that new and replacement parts will be available to anyone.
Organizations which have shared ideas, materials, and experience about hand digging wells in central Africa include the following: Equip (Marion, NC), Living Water International (Houston, TX), And Water4 (Oklahoma City, OK). We are grateful to these organizations for having shared their experiences with others.
A search in the capital city of Kinshasa for some well-digging materials revealed only a few and they were low quality. Financial resources will be needed for materials and transportation costs to start this water-well project but new materials sources will be found and established in the Congo for future water-well materials and parts. Thus, a new fund called "Congo Water Project" has been opened with AIMM.
For further information, please contact the AIMM office at 574-535-0077 or [email protected]
I have thought much about the problem of lack of potable water in south central Congo. Dr. John Martens, who travels to the Congo annually, has also mentioned that there is no running water at any of the former Mennonite Mission stations in that area even through several of those centers has a school, clinic, or hospital. Since all plants, animals, and humans, require water to live, there is hope to make life a little easier for the residents of this area of the Congo.
I believe the time has come to establish a "Congo Water Project" Fund with the money channeled through AIMM in Goshen, IN. The main focus of this effort is to estalish a dependable water source for these stations and villages. This money is to be used specifically for the digging and casing of water wells and the installation of a water pumping system(s).
The plan for "Congo Water Project" is to first dig two wells in the village of Ndjoko Punda in the Kasai province, one of which could also supply additional water to the hospital. (The RAM pump supplies about 250 gallons of water overnight.) Water from the handdug wells would be new potable water sources for the village.
We hope to assemble a small group of dedicated individuals in this area of Congo to dig some wells. They will be trained on the digging process using a hand auger and installing plastic well casing. Then a pump will be installed and a test will be done to check the water quality. The original group of well drillers can then be divided with each sub-group adding new individuals to be trained in the well-digging process.
After two wells have been successfully installed in Ndjoko Punda, other wells can be dug at the other former Mennonite Mission stations and other surrounding villages. Part of our effort will be to work with hardware dealers in the Congo to import well casing materials and pumps so that new and replacement parts will be available to anyone.
Organizations which have shared ideas, materials, and experience about hand digging wells in central Africa include the following: Equip (Marion, NC), Living Water International (Houston, TX), And Water4 (Oklahoma City, OK). We are grateful to these organizations for having shared their experiences with others.
A search in the capital city of Kinshasa for some well-digging materials revealed only a few and they were low quality. Financial resources will be needed for materials and transportation costs to start this water-well project but new materials sources will be found and established in the Congo for future water-well materials and parts. Thus, a new fund called "Congo Water Project" has been opened with AIMM.
For further information, please contact the AIMM office at 574-535-0077 or [email protected]
