Is the cost to build a well in Africa a barrier?
The cost to build a well in Africa does not need to be astronomical. A standard American homeowner wanting to drill a well can easily spend upwards of $9,000.[1]Many factors are at play, including the labor necessary to make it happen and the landscape where it is being drilled. In Africa, some wells with elaborate electrical pumping systems can cost up to $30,000.
GFA World has been installing clean water projects, including bore wells in rural, water-starved areas of Asia for many years and has recently made some water infrastructure improvements in Kigali where we have set up our Africa ministry headquarters. For bore well needs, we have perfected a system and model that allows us to drill a sustainable well and, using local labor and the commonly available India Mark II pump and parts, we can keep the cost of installation and maintenance well below other models. We call it the Jesus Well.[2]
A local congregation is commissioned to care for the well, providing regular maintenance and giving access to the whole village. Properly cared for, a Jesus Well can last for decades. GFA will provide any major parts or needed adjustments that the congregation cannot do.
The economical cost of one of our wells is worth much more to the hundreds of lives that will be forever altered for the good because of the ability for people to just walk across the village and get clean, safe water. Children will be able to grow and not miss school because of illness. Adults will be able to spend more time earning income or caring for the home or themselves instead of walking miles to fetch the only water available, water that is often unclean and dangerous.
Donate today to our clean water projects and give the gift of clean water for many years to come. In developed countries most can simply turn on a tap in one or more rooms in our homes for water with which to cook and clean. We usually have water to drink no matter where we go. We can buy purified water from the store, water fountains are in public spaces, and plenty of plumbing is accessible for most people.
Out of our abundance, we can give life and health to water-stressed African areas where population growth has already outpaced the available water sources for many. Help centralize water access that can remain protected and yet also accessible to so many by funding GFA water projects and you’ll be making accessibility to clean water less of a burden for many people.
Learn more about building wells in Africa[1] “How Much Does It Cost To Drill a Well in 2023?” Forbes. April 17, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/plumbing/cost-to-drill-well/.
[2] GFA World. “GFA World: Showing God’s Love in Africa.” Accessed December 15, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/africa/#:~:text=impact%20entire%20communities.-,Clean%20Water%20Projects,-We%20have%20drilled.