This photo shows a woman getting water from a hand-dug pit near our current drill site, at the Dar es Salaam suburb called Mbezi Msigani. Wallace Kiluwa and his crew have been drilling at this site since October 3.
A year ago, I was told by a much larger philanthropic organization that we should consider drilling in a different part of the world. They said our rig was too small and the logistics of working in Africa were too tough. They had pulled out of Tanzania and we should, too. I responded that we only had enough money for the rig we bought, and we would continue to move forward with the project on determination, prayer and faith. When completed, Mbezi Msigani will be our 7th completed water well. That is quite an accomplishment in such a short time!
Today, Wallace sent an email saying the crew hit a very hard section of rock at 70 meters depth (230 feet.) They switched to a rock bit and powered through the hard spot, but they burned up part of the rig’s rotary drive in doing so. They are now traveling back into Dar es Salaam to find the parts needed to fix the rig and complete the well. Wallace says he expects to complete the well in 20 more meters – near the limit on how deep our little rig can drill. But Wallace will somehow find a way to make it work, just like he has always done.
The success of the Tanzania Water Project up to this point has been due to a unique partnership between Wallace’s team drilling the wells, our donors for providing funding and technical support, the Anglican Archdiocese of Tanzania for helping us store the drilling rig and providing logistical help to the drilling crew, and the staff at Christ Church, Nacogdoches for supporting us along the way.
It’s not easy to drill water wells in Africa – that’s why each well we complete changes peoples’ lives. Think about that for a minute. This project is succeeding where others have failed, and it could not have worked at all without your contributions of time and money. So THANK YOU for your support and CONGRATULATIONS on your success!
Keep checking this site for further updates.
