Introduction
Welcome to the first Myra’s Wells Newsletter for 2026. Our first task is to thank you for your prayer and financial support through another year, a year which in some ways has been quite different from the previous twenty since Myra’s Wells was founded.
Before looking back, and looking forward to the future, I like to think we can turn to God’s word to encourage and challenge us to keep going. There are changes taking place under the new military regime that were not anticipated and are very significant, and there is more detail about these changes later in the newsletter.
Unless obvious or clarified by an integral text box, the photos in this Newsletter relate to one of our recent wells, not necessarily to the adjacent text.
If you prefer a printed copy of this newsletter, please ask – or download this printable A4 version.
Main stories in this newsletter
- How real is my compassion?
- Reviewing 2025
- Difficulties!
- 2026 Visit to Burkina Faso
- Drilling news
- Garden Party at Wimborne St Giles
- People news
- Accounts matters
- Donations in USD or EUR
- Prayer points
How real is my compassion? (From Eddie)
I was challenged recently by Amos chapter 4.
Having a calling to provide water where it is needed, I have noted various instances where water, or the lack of it, is mentioned in Scripture. One of these is in Amos chapter 4 where Amos accuses the Samaritan women of the Northern Kingdom of Israel who were so self-centred, that they did not mind seeing others not too far away staggering from town to town searching for water – just like what still happens in wide areas of Burkina Faso today – while they became “fat cows”.
In my younger days in Glasgow, whilst I am not a Gaelic speaker I, was familiar with a few words. One of these was the word “Cailleach” pronounced “calioch” and was/is a derogatory term used to describe an old, usually unpleasant and often cantankerous woman. Your hearer would (hopefully) not always be Gaelic and so not understand the insult.
Amos wasn’t so gentle with the Samaritan women of Bashan which is now the Golan Heights. He insulted them full face by calling them “cows”, actually “fat cows”, because they were only interested in themselves and their beer, keeping their religious festivals but having no real heart for the unfortunate living not too far away. They had the hedonistic living – they could tell their men to go and bring home more beer – its all in chapter 4 of Amos.
I was challenged about the extent of my own compassion – perhaps even my motives for what compassion I do have.
Reviewing 2025
2025 was successful with regard to drilling with 40 boreholes completed or refurbished in some way.
We are very grateful of course to our team in Burkina Faso, and we thought you would be interested in some excerpts from minute of the management meeting they had at Tanghin Church in Ouagadougou on 21 February 2026.
Their agenda was concise and summarises the year:
- Presentation of their 2025 report
- Examination of present difficulties
- Proposed solutions
Here are some extracts from their report
- 20 wells completed with manual pumps
- 8 wells with a solar pump and a plastic water tower with storage for 2000 litres or 5000 litres
- 3 wells with a solar pump and a steel water tower for 10,000 litres
- 5 manual pumps repaired and refurbished
- 4 manual wells converted to solar pump with water towers.
They also summarised the amounts that had been paid out to the surveyors, drilling contractors, pump suppliers and water tower fabricators, labourers, trainers etc:
| Costs | FCFA (West African francs) | Approx £ |
| New wells (hand pump) | 45,663,000 | 61,700 |
| New wells (solar pump, 5000 litre tank) | 47,217,000 | 63,800 |
| New wells (solar pump, 10,000 litre tank) | 31,768,142 | 42,900 |
| Repaired wells (hand pump) | 11,410,000 | 15,400 |
| Conversion of manual pumps to solar | 10,822,500 | 14,600 |
Difficulties!
Then they reported on the difficulties now being encountered by our people in Burkina Faso, and to understand this, you need to know a little more about what is going on in the country.
Background
In 2022, there was a “coup d’etat” in Burkina Faso. Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power and has retained power since then. In the past these have not affected us too much and we carried on more or less as usual. However, recently, he has started to make changes that affect NGOs by introducing rules that were not at all helpful to us financially, and we are still in the process, as trustees in the UK, of considering how best we can adapt. We must add that changes he has made in the country have generally been well received by the people. So what’s going on?
The challenges
We give God thanks for all that has been done and ask prayer for wisdom in decisions that have to be made in connection with the new regulations. Briefly, the main changes are:
- We need to obtain approval for our chosen drilling sites. This does have the benefit of helping us not to drill where other organisations are planning to drill. However, it means our plans can be delayed.
- We now have to use a government approved laboratory for water testing. This is often cheaper than the commercial laboratories – but the tests take longer.
- We now have to use a government owned bank, rather than the commercial one we have been using. This is causing enormous delays in money being received by Christine. It used to take 2 hours. Recently we have been waiting for over a month for the money to be available to use.
- There are now much more rigorous requirements for the auditing of the accounts in Burkina Faso. This has benefits – but the cost is in the order of four times what it used to be.
- Myra’s Wells International (the NGO in Burkina) will now have to have their registration renewed every 2 years, instead of every 5 years. This carries a not insignificant cost.
- The invoices for drilling and all the associated works are now subject to VAT. Previously, this was not the case.
- There is also a requirement that NGOs have an office. We do have an office – a room in the large church building. However, although we have tried to pay the church rent, they have not accepted any. If this does not change, Christine will have to find another office at commercial rates.
- Perhaps the worst problem is not yet happening. However, there are rumours that all money coming into Burkina might be subject to a 20% tax at some point.
Until now the 8 UK trustees have borne all the costs which are not associated with drilling as we promise to give 100% of your gifts to projects. Therefore we are looking at options as to how to proceed. One option would be to ask for a contribution from a church or a village towards the costs, although this might not be viable in a small village. Please pray about this. It is our desire to continue to help providing water. After a government inspection of some of our wells, the comment was “We cannot manage without your help.”
2026 Visit to Burkina Faso (From Eddie)
There was a successful visit to Burkina Faso in January as usual, and a briefer than usual report is available from us. If you are a regular supporter you should receive it automatically, but if not you can request one by emailing or phoning us. This will be the last bespoke report due to the very high production and postage costs, (which are covered by the trustees personally). However hopefully our website and Newsletters will fill any gap.
This year I went in early January as usual. For the first week Geoff Morley was with me and Jeremy Nash joined me at the end of the month. For a variety of reasons it was tougher than before. More security restrictions on travel, and my own need for two new hips made me think twice about going, but I am very pleased I went. I get very well looked after by my hosts.
I was not able to do as much travelling around as usual, but did visit a number of new wells and sites for new projects. The local people really appreciate your interest in them and your generosity, as is obvious in the photos in this newsletter. I arrived back safely with a list of about 30 places where we have decided to drill wells as funds allow.
Drilling news
We have begun work on the list of the 30 wells mentioned above. So far, about 6 have been completed, including some projects to repair old broken wells.
Here are a few photos from these projects.
Gandaogo
This is what Geoff said about this village:
Here a well is needed. 1 km to nearest pump. 1 hour wait time. This is also a private well, opened most time although the farmer takes priority for his veg. A second well is about 2km away and not available to public most of the time. Info on the form. The first forage (drilled well) – water is dirty, fit only for cattle, 2nd and 3rd (i.e. the next two wells where the people might try to go for water) are private (which means that they may not be available to be used, or only available to those who can pay).
Toghin
What the application form told us: One forage 50 minutes away. 2 open wells which are out of action.
Geoff’s report after visiting the village: This area is in need of a well. Nearest well is 50 min away and also busy, especially afternoons.
The photo captures the moment when the drill struck the main source of water at Toghin. As you can see, the drilling teams sometimes work late!
Yoargué
What the application form told us: The first source is not available to everyone because there is a charge. There is also a long wait. The form mentions 2 broken wells but they are an hour’s walk away. This looks a possible.
Geoff’s report after visiting the village: We went to this site yesterday late afternoon, but it was too dark to do a proper assessment. We went there this morning. IDPs (Internally Displaced People) have moved to the area too. 2 broken wells in this area too, one of which I have recorded the location. This seems to be an area where a well is needed, and if so, a repair could be done to the broken well in addition? This would alleviate the use on the new well somewhat.
Garden party at Wimborne St Giles
A date for your diary – Sunday, 14th June 2026, 2pm-5pm
The trustees have arranged a Cream Tea Garden Party at the Village Hall in Wimborne St Giles near to Wimborne. The postcode is BH21 5LX and this QR code will link to the Village Hall’s web site.
The photo shows a craft stall from which Eddie has bought some walking sticks. He may be holding an auction for one or two at this garden party. You may have an older relative who could use one?
All supporters are welcome, especially local supporters living in the south east Dorset area.
People news
Some of our trustees are beginning to feel a bit older. Maybe some of you know how it feels. Since the charity started 20 years ago, it has grown beyond all imagination. In fact, when Eddie drilled the first well at Zongo, he had no idea that it would become a charity. By God’s grace, there have been 375 projects completed as we write this newsletter.
With this growth, the admin needed has also grown and help is needed for some of us who are no longer able to keep up with it. So, we are pleased that we have been able to meet a lady, Angela Boyle who has said that she will give some of the needed help.
Angela lives in Nuneaton – not exactly close to Bournemouth – but with web based meetings, it will be possible for her to learn what is needed. So we ask for prayer that this will reduce the workload on some of the trustees.
Welcome on board, Angela!
Anonymous donations
We try to acknowledge all donations. Bank transfers are the quickest way of donating – if you let us know that a donation has been made by email to info@myraswells.org, we will acknowledge. Some donors prefer to remain anonymous and we want to thank you for your kindness. We are sometimes able to send a letter via a bank or via Stewardship.
Final Accounts 2024-25
Our accounts for the year ending August 2025 will soon be submitted to the Charity Commission. If anyone would like a PDF copy, please let us know and we will be pleased to send it.
Donations in USD or EUR
We have bank accounts for USD and EUR. For donations in these (or any other currency), please ask for details.
Prayer points
- Praise for the wells that have been drilled recently and all who have become Christians as a result of wells being drilled.
- Pray for peace to return to Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries, and an end to terrorism and violence.
- Pray for good boreholes that are planned over the next 3 or 4 weeks.
- Pray for the local pastors as they seek to use the wells as a means of sharing the Gospel.
- Pray for the safety for the drilling teams in areas where security is not guaranteed and where we want to provide water, and pray that the security situation will very soon improve.
- Pray that the new restrictions in Burkina Faso will not be too onerous or expensive for us to comply with.
- Pray for the safety of Christine and her helpers based in Ouagadougou.