“Where are our wells?” We are often asked.
Myra’s Wells has drilled 143 wells in Burkina Faso (February 2019). You can see the full list using this link. We give God the glory for this number of wells. The provision of funds to make this possible is quite amazing. Eddie started with one well, not realising that it would be come a full charity. But where are our wells?
Here is the map
The map shows that we have provided water in every region of Burkina Faso. They are in villages which represent most, if not all, the main ethnic backgrounds. These villages also represent all the main religious groupings of Christian, Muslim and Animism.
You will see that a lot of the markers are clustered around Ouagadougou. Many of these are early wells. But even near the capital, the need for water is very great. New suburbs spring up, often not thoroughly planned. And the same applies to many of the towns on the map too. Any provision of water is not adequate as people move to the cities and towns to look for work. Sometimes they have to rely on a tanker coming to bring water. And that does not always arrive.
Concentration on rural areas
But, more recently, we have decided that we should prioritise rural areas. Wells may still appear to be clustered around towns marked on the map. Some of these towns are very small – they would be classed as villages here. Unless the town is a large one, access to clean water may not be good even in these towns. And the villages marked are perhaps 10km (and more) away from the towns.
Spot the village!
You will rarely find the village name on the map! Village names can be very localised. Often, there will be more than one name for a village – depending upon which language the people there speak. It may not have an agreed spelling – not all the 70+ languages are written languages. If there is a “road” to the village, it is likely that there will be no signpost with the village name on it. So, it is very difficult for us to mark the exact location on the map.
This is a rare signpost that confirmed we did have the right village on this occasion. But that is rare.
Many times, when visiting wells, our driver has no idea of the way. He will know how to get the nearest town. But then he will wait until a motor cycle arrives to lead him through the trees across country before we arrive at the village. So, “Where are our wells?” is a question we often ask ourselves! But it is amazing when we arrive and see happy people welcoming us with gifts of chickens or goats.
We hope to add more to the map
In the goodness of God, we hope to add more stickers on the map over the next few weeks. We guarantee that 100% of donations are towards wells projects. Trustees personally meet all other expenses. If you would like to help us, our “How to Donate” page will tell you how to make a contribution. And we appreciate prayer for the work as well.
