Project 2020-007

Funded June 15, 2020 

Gorom-Gorom is located in the Sahel Reserve, a remote area in the northern-most part of Burkina Faso.  In May 2020, terrorists attacked a convoy north and west of the northern area’s capital, Ouahigouya (details of the attack), which is about 100 miles from Gorom-Gorom.  Ongoing terrorism, including this recent attack, is driving refugees to the more remote areas of Burkina Faso, including Gorom-Gorom.  Gorom-Gorom has doubled in size because of an influx of refugees.

The current water system in Gorom-Gorom is unable to support the influx of refugees on top of existing residents of the town. So they do not have enough water for drinking and basic needs. The people wait, hoping that they can get water from the existing, broken and insufficient water system built for a fraction of the population. The people congregate around taps waiting for water to flow. And people regularly go home with no water. At this point, both refugees and existing residents suffer from thirst and dehydration. Hygiene is a huge problem because of the lack of water. And the situation is compounded by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

A hydrogeo survey shows water around 400-450 feet.  This is a very deep well in a remote part of the country making drilling costs somewhat expensive.  But the need is very great.  We will be working alongside Heaven’s Family and their local partner, Keith Smith from Acacia Partnership Trust.  Heaven’s Family has been working with Keith Smith since 2018 doing 10 well repairs in area villages as well as constructing safety walls around 5 more existing wells.

The well will be on the Fontaine de Vie youth ministry center site in Gorom-Gorom.  Note that access to water is provided to all regardless of ethnicity or religion. The goal is to serve the community (mostly Muslim, Christians are the minority).  Once established, Acacia Partnership Trust will oversee the future maintenance of the well.

Ingomar Living Waters typically does not do projects where geo-political risks pose near-term threats to water projects.  But our partners have been in Gorom-Gorom for 20 years and assure us that given terrorist activities in other parts of Burkina Faso and the number of refugees in Gorom-Gorom, the need is great.  And they believe the town will be stable and the well will support people in great need for the foreseeable future.  But nothing worth doing in life is completely safe.  Thank you to our World Changers helping fund this project who agreed to help the people in Gorom-Gorom even given the risks!

Completed July 17, 2020

Drilling at Gorom-Gorom was successful.  See pictures of drilling (above) and video of drilling (below) as water is struck.  You can hear the cheers of children in the background of the video.

This well, as well as two other wells drilled in Gorom-Gorom to handle the entire town’s needed capacity, went remarkably well. Water can be difficult to find in Gorom-Gorom, and a strong supply of water was found at each of the three locations. The local people and internally displaced people (called IDPs) are now enjoying clean water to drink for their families and are no longer thirsty and suffering for water! Their health will improve and they will be able to practice better hygiene.

In the background of the video above you can see the cafe’ and sports court of the Fontaine de Vie Youth Center where ministry is happening on a regular basis.  Keith, our ministry partner who directed this project, would like to add that the ultimate siting of the well you have provided is excellent, near the perimeter of the Youth Centre, so it is truly accessible to the local population (as you can see in the video), but giving easy access to the youth center, and strengthening our local ministries.  For a map showing the well’s exact location, click on the map below.

In addition to thank you’s in the video above, many messages of thanks for the well have been received.  A few are noted here:

• “The wells are helping meeting an enormous need. People are around the pump day and night. Thank you and God bless you.”
• Seydou and Pascal say (Pascal directs the Youth Center and Seydou directs the well repair ministry.): “We cannot express how much these wells are a blessing. They have truly eased the suffering of the population of Gorom-Gorom and the surrounding villages. There are constant crowds around them, so that we have had to limit the number of water jugs each person can bring!
• “We thank the donors and want them to know the joy of the villagers. We pray that God may bless and reward each one for their good works, so that such works may endure.”

Thanks so much to the World Changers who contributed to make this possible!

Post-Completion Update October 28, 2020

 The new well has become a normal part of daily life in Gorom-Gorom.  Here you can see kids playing basketball right next to the new well.  Pascal, who helped drill the well and will care for the well, lives right next to the well.  Pascal is the Director of the  Fontaine de Vie (fountain or source of life, appropriate name) Youth Center which is also located next to the new well.  Fountaine de Vie is a Christian-based safe place for kids of Gorom-Gorom, many who are refugees who migrated to the area.  The video includes shots of the well, basketball court, cafe, library, training center, and Pascal’s house.

Thanks again to the World Changers who invested in providing this new well in Gorom-Gorom, Burkina Faso!