At the time of writing (May 2020), Myra’s Wells has provided 178 wells in Burkina Faso. We want to know that each pump is still working, and still producing clean water. That is why we set up a Well Management Committee at each new well we drill. We will set this up at the older wells, too, as time and travel permit.
This story is about one of Myra’s Wells very early wells. Number 3, to be precise, at a village known as Kasson on our list of wells.
This is Kasson
Kasson is a village to the west of Ouagadougou. These pictures date from 2009 when Eddie visited the village. We drilled then well there in June 2007. This is a quote from the original story about Kasson:
“The well is dedicated to the memory of Nellie and bears her name. Nellie’s Well is one of many that have been dedicated to special people whose relatives wanted more than a gravestone to show the regard they had for a loved one. A wonderful idea as the living water it provides changes many, many lives in more ways than you could ever imagine.”
What has changed?
It is obvious that clean water helps to people to be more healthy.
They can also spend more time caring for their crops and livestock – time which they used to spend searching for water. This picture shows the crop (is it sweet corn?) at the end of the rainy season. Before they had a well, the growing season stopped when the rains stopped.
The people have gathered the harvest and stored it. They have cleared and prepared the ground ready for the next crop. The well has been tidied up and the people are coming for water. There is plenty for everyone, although they might still have to wait for their turn. I would not want to be in the queue behind the children waiting to fill the large drum. They will have enough for the evening – and probably for their vegetable patch.
Now, with the constant supply of water available, the growing season is the whole year round. This picture shows the vegetable patch, near to the well in May 2020. The rainy season will soon start, but there will be enough for the family to last until the new crops grow. The fate of the hen that is roaming freely amongst the vegetables is somewhat doubtful.
Church life
Pastor Roger is a very enthusiastic preacher. More people are trusting Christ as Saviour. They want to show this by being baptised. So here is another use for the water from the well. Notice the wall by the tree on the right of the picture above! This is the wall of a baptistry. Recently, Pastor Roger baptized several from the village and accepted them as members of the church at Kasson.
This pump is still working, producing clean water, 13 years after we installed it
The clean water is improving the daily lives of many people. The presence of the well has helped the pastor to preach about living water. Lives are being transformed. We try to keep in touch with as many villages as possible, to make sure that, in each village, the pump is still working.