Benin Celebrating a Return to Life!
After nearly 3 years of drilling, we are celebrating the 85 water wells that have been drilled in Benin! Up to 85 000 people’s lives are being transformed by having clean, pure water, and that at a closer distance than to their former contaminated sources. Several months ago, a Beninese doctor shared that he found fewer instances of water born diseases in villages where GAiN water wells had been in operation for a year or more. Better health means more time to live, work, play, and learn! Here’s what some of these grateful people are saying:
Village of Adjagbo
Adjagbo is a village at about 25 km from the capital of Benin, Cotonou. GAiN drilled a well there in July 2007.
“We are so happy that we can’t thank Global Aid Network enough. Our village is big and we are numerous in it but we did not have clean water to drink. We use to take water from a hand-dug well. The water is contaminated and makes us sick. This dirty water could not even cover the needs of the whole village. Life was very difficult for us during dry seasons. We are all now very happy for new well. Its water is clean and good to drink. One more time, we thank Global Aid Network.” Village Chief, Adjabgo
Village of Hahame
Hahame is a village at about 100 km from Cotonou, not far from a lake called Aheme. The lake is salt water and any well drilled in the area usually yields salty water, difficult to drink and very bad for washing with. People usually also become sick after drinking this water. When the GAiN drill team went to the village to drill a well, the people knew that the water quality would never be good. But they were surprised! The well was completed in January 2007, yielding abundant, clean and sweet water. It was unbelievable but true, to the happiness of all the villagers.
Village of Matokou
The problem of lack of water was very crucial in the village of Matokou. The people had been drawing water from ponds and became very sick after drinking it. Even when the Government drilled a well for the village, the well water was red and was still undrinkable. The villagers are very happy today because they still have good drinking water from the GAiN drilled well, completed in December 2006.
Village of Govie
(water well completed in December 2005)
“The water well given to us has helped our villagers very much. We used to go as far as 4 km to fetch water at the stream. Now that we have a well here in the village, everybody is happy to have clean water.” Village Chief, Govie
Village of Guede Codji
The village of Guede Codji was in a serious need of clean water when the GAiN drilling team first visited them. At the time, people were drawing water from a hand-dug well and the water was very dirty. Many times government officials came to the village and promised to drill a water well for them, but it would never happen. So when the GAiN team said the same thing the villagers did not believe them. They said, “We’ve been being told this for a long time already. People used to come and promise us this kind of thing so that we would vote for them, but they never come back after election.” Our team said that they were different people, even though they worked in partnership with the government. “We are Christians and want to share the love of God with people.”
The next time the GAiN team visited the village, they brought the drilling rig. The people were surprised, and then they believed that the GAiN team was different. In November 2005 they completed the water well, and the villagers were very happy.
Village of Adjarra Adovie
Adjarra-Adovie is a village about 35 km from Cotonou. The GAiN team completed the water well there in November 2005.
“We thank Global Aid Network for the well donated to our village. In the past we did not have good drinking water. Our people used to draw water from the lake. It was not clean and made people sick. Today our lives are saved in that we have clean drinking water which doesn’t make us sick.” Resident of Adjarra-Adovie