Building wells that last "forever"

For over a hundred years wells have been dug throughout Africa in the poorest of villages. The majority of these wells have been amazing gifts of love, meeting the immediate physical needs of countless communities. The problem however, is that although these gifts of love initially transformed countless lives, they are often short-lived.

The reason for this alarming fact comes down to a “world view” issue. The majority of these abandoned wells were viewed by the recipient villages as the “Mizungus” (foreigner) well, and the Mizungus will return and fix the well when it (invariably) breaks. This repair of course rarely happens. The donors receive accolades and praise for their generosity but are largely unaware of the short life span of their generous gift. The failure of African wells is largely due to broken parts, rusted pipes and little to no maintenance.