WorldWide Drilling Resource

66 JANUARY 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® %( %+ % " % ) %& &#%' $ ! " #% !#% " #%! ' #" #% ) & ' (& #" " ! " %#(" * ' % #! Volunteers Drill Wells and Change Lives in Central America Adapted from Information Provided by Iron Clad Marketing “Of the world’s population, just one in five people has access to clean water,” says Mike Douglas, a philanthropic man of faith and action from Colorado. “We are a very rich country.” He and his brother Kirk aim to share some of those riches and, in conjunction with their church groups, have dedicated much of their lives to bringing clean water to villages throughout Central America. They have worked in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, and recently focused their work on Honduras and Guatemala. They started drilling wells about 15 years ago, and this was done mostly by hand until 6 years ago. The Douglas brothers began train- ing with Living Water International, a group working to implement participa- tory, community-based water solutions in developing countries. This training increased the brothers’ knowledge of shallow well drilling, pump repair, and hygiene education. It also introduced them to Little Beaver’s Lone Star Drills, a line of portable water well drills. A gift from a donor, along with a discount offered by Little Beaver on Lone Star Drills used for mission work, allowed the Douglas brothers’ team to purchase the LS300T+ rig, and they immediately put it to work. It was taken into some of the toughest terrain they had encountered, and the team was instantly impressed by how well it per- formed, so much they purchased a second rig. “Because the countries are very diverse, we work everywhere from the ocean plains to the mountains,” said Mike. “We drill in all kinds of conditions, from sand and clay to some of the hardest volcanic rock formations that you’ll ever find, particularly in Guatemala.” Mike admits the Lone Star portable water well drills weren’t designed to drill through volcanic rock. However, he has been impressed with how the drills have man- aged to do so anyway. Using these rigs, the brothers and volunteers drill wells ranging from 90 to 300 feet deep. The fully hydraulic rigs feature an anchor kit that helps them push beyond the weight of the trailer the drill is mounted on, more effective- ly using the roller cone bits to get through rock they often encounter in Guatemala. In the past five years, volunteer efforts with new drill rigs have brought fresh water wells to more than 30 vil- lages in Honduras and Guatemala. That equates to thousands of poverty- stricken people now having access to clean water and better health as a result of these efforts. In addition to clean water for villages, rigs and wells are also used to help provide a source of income to local people seriously stricken with poverty. “We allow them to drill wells for com- merce,” Mike said. “They’ve got a small business then, and are able to drill wells for profit. Providing jobs for them is just another form of ministry.” Voluntarios Perforan Pozos y Cambian Vidas en Centro América Adaptado de Información Proveída por Little Beaver “De la población del mundo, solo uno de cada cinco gentes tienen acceso a agua limpia,” dice Mike Douglas, a filántropo hombre de fe en acción de Colorado. “Somos un país muy rico.” El y su hermano Kirk buscan com- partir algunas de esas riquezas, y en conjunto con grupos de la iglesia, han dedicado mucho de sus vidas trayendo agua limpia a las aldeas por Centro América. Han trabajado en El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panamá, y recientemente han enfocado su esfuerzo en Honduras y Guatemala. Empezaron a perforar pozos hace cono 15 años atrás, y esto fue hecho en su mayoría a mano hasta hace 6 años. Los hermanos Douglas empezaron entrenando con Agua Viva Internacional (Living Water International), un grupo trabajando para implementar, soluciones de participación comunitaria en países en desarrollo. Este entrenamiento incre- mento la sabiduría de los hermanos de perforación de poca profundidad, repa- ración de bombas, y educación de higiene. También los introdujo a las Volunteers pay their own way to help drill wells. Hector Leos Translator Volunteers trans cont’d on page 72.