Can you imagine needing to walk long distances to gather water for your family every day, or sometimes several times a day? And what if those treks through the forest put you at risk of being kidnapped?

It’s what women and girls in an African community called Bwolo were facing. Their village had a water well but the line-ups to use it were always so long, and the hand pump on the well was breaking down so often, that most people felt compelled to walk to the nearest creek.

Along the way, the women and girls risked being abducted because Bwolo is an area of Nigeria where kidnapping and demanding ransom have become common among criminals who prey on the vulnerable travelling in remote terrain.

When Lifewater Canada learned of Bwolo’s plight, donations from people like you enabled us to replace the old pump with a much more durable one, and to drill another well so villagers have two options, neither of which requires any dangerous travel.

“This has brought much joy to the community,” reports our drilling team, whose courageous members risked being kidnapped themselves to complete the two projects.

The well water is also much cleaner and safer than what people used to draw from the creek – resulting in healthier families and a healthier village. Will you help other villages like Bwolo that need a well?