Water is Life
Water is Life started in South Africa and is expanding to Ghana and Haiti.
The main goal of this program is to provide clean running water onto a property or location that will support not only a school or clinic, but the surrounding village. We visit properties to study the needs.
We recently have found that orphanages play a vital road in some HIV infected villages
and have added orphanages to our list of bases that are applying to our organization.
We have found from practice and research that providing clean water to a community that has
been waiting for up to 50 years opens many doors to education and outreach in a village.
Our first step is to assist with emergency conditions where we find children are
drinking from mud holes and sharing this water with animals.
Many times after a natural disaster, there is no clean water to be found.
In these cases, we fundraise for Life straws.
This invention is a plastic straw worn around the neck and filters
all water borne diseases. The straw lasts for 1 year. The distribution of straws is
the first stage in our Water is Life process. We then move forward to raise funds
to provide clean running water to each community where we are based.
Some of our properties, only need a simple repair to bring running water.
Others need pipes extended. Each property follows the same steps of progress.
We also work along with the municipality to see if we can partner to connect
to the town water when possible.
But in most of our cases, the rural areas where we work
are far from any piping system and we must hire a drilling team
to drill a borehole and install a pump. They are two different projects
with two different prices.
Please study below to get an idea of what it costs to sponsor a project.
How much does it cost to drill a borehole?
This price can range from $4,500.00 to $10,500.00 depending on how rocky
and how deep we must drill.
How much does it cost to put in a water pump?
There are a few types of pumps that we work with.
A hand pump can cost about $1000 USA but this does not
include the labor. This job in a rural area can be about $4,500.00.
How much does it cost if the pump is electric?
Many of our rural schools do have electric and this pump cost
is about $5,000.00 and the labor can range up to $5,000.00
for the work of the pump install plus electrician.
Keep in mind that when a worker must travel 2 hours there
and back it is difficult to find workers who wish to accept this
job. Also if it rains, you can't reach many of our properties.
You extend pipes after the borehole is put at the base so
that water can reach the community, how much does this cost?
This cost is about 7000.00 depending on how far we must extend
into the community. This cost also includes another handpump.
How much is it if I wish to sponsor a sink for handwashing at one
of your community bases?
A cement sink is plus the costs for labor and parts is about 1,000.00.
Can my organization or school sponsor just one of these stages?
Yes, it is costly to take on one complete water project and we
encourage partnerships. We can assign you a school and a stage.
Do you work alone in these rural areas?
We work with all local leaders and government and are sure to
get approvals. We also must get permission from the tribal chief
of each village when the water well rests on public non school
owned property. We have partnerships with the local water companies
and also with the municipality. When a project is complete they
are all invited to our last stage of our LAUNCH where we celebrate
the community and their new Green Community Hub.
Who owns the projects once you put them on the land?
We hand the projects over to the community and make sure that
a contract is written up to show that the school orphanage or clinic
owns the project and not the chief or the government.
To sponsor a complete water is life phase please call to speak to
our founder and president and you can find out what properties
are open for sponsorship. We work with the USA and UK accepting
sponsors.