From FB Post March 27 Water Day
We celebrated “International Water Day” this week with a huge win in La Tejera! While doing the 24-hour pump test on the new well, not wanting to lose this opportunity of clean, potable water, a constant stream of people from the community came to fill every empty container they had available to them. Moments such as these can be very emotional, especially when one experiences the joy and laughter of the community that now has this precious, life-giving liquid in abundance. Thank you to all our donors who allow for these great, life-changing moments to happen!
Our adopted Grandmother, Alejandra and her two grand children were all smiles (thanks to a generous donor) as Wells of Hope was able to lay the foundation to what will be her new home! Not a moment too soon as darkened clouds begin to be a common occurrence, indicating that the rainy season is closing in. In two weeks’ time, the three women should be sleeping soundly with no more fear of getting soaked through the night!
The fifteen girls from the mountains of Santa Maria Xalapan are continuing their journey to greater opportunities as they discover new gifts and talents through the sewing program being held in Wells of Hope’s Clem Center. From proper business practices, to learning about different materials and their proper application, to hand stitching and machine sewing, the girls look forward to each day of learning! A perk was a little taste of Italy as Miriam introduced the girls to the flavours of home-made pizza for lunch. No leftovers that day!!
Our mechanic Sergio was busy performing miracles on seemingly impossible situations. At the two-hundred-foot mark, the drive case underneath the drilling rig fractured in half as we were a drilling through very hard, black, volcanic rock in the community of Valle Linda in Jutiapa. The breakdown requires that the rig be repaired in the field as the drive case connects the PTO’s of the wheels in order to drive and the PTO that operates the drilling components on deck. Not leaving a rock unturned, Sergio hit the road and searched every available scrap yard in Guatemala City and beyond until he discovered a case that could be modified to meet our needs. We’re not out of the woods yet but one huge step forward to being up and running again.
Juan A was busy with his crew of local volunteers, building washrooms and a septic system for an elementary school in Santa Cruz. The students previously only had an outhouse available to them which now was full of human waste. Since the community of Santa Cruz now has water due to a well system constructed by Wells of Hope, so water is available to allow for a proper, hygienic, self-sustaining sanitation system to be built. The teachers are especially grateful, as soon, they will no longer need to walk to a neighbour’s property to use their outdoor facilities. Two classrooms will also get a new roof as the existing ones are very old and full of holes, making for a wet experience for the students and teachers during the rainy season.
Wells of Hope’s Ben Center is one step closer to being in production mode. Working with the Municipality of Jalapa, hydro poles, transformers and wiring are being installed to power the machinery needed in order to begin manufacturing school desks locally. The bureaucracy of dealing with government seems to be the same all over the world! With patience, (getting a little scarce) we continue to do what it takes in order to have the Ben Center operational ASAP.
Once again, thank you to all of our supporters whose generosity continue to allow us to be the hands and feet of love during these challenging times!