WorldWide Drilling Resource

53 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2014 Water for Life International by Tim Rasmussen As mentioned last month, Ahikam is the name given to a small orphanage just outside of the city of Poptun where Water for Life International has its Guatemalan headquarters. It is built on the side of a hill and accessed by a short but bumpy stretch of road. Luis and his wife Cony, who are supported only by local people and church groups, operate the orphanage. They take tough cases the court sends to them, but like the situation of other orphanages, the state sends them children, but does not pay anything for their care. There are presently 42 children at the facility. Until this past season, the orphanage did not have a supply of water. They had to carry each precious gallon of water from a neighbor’s property. one day, a lady stopped by our shop to talk about the orphanage. Gary was out, so she left a note regarding the need and location. It seemed unlikely we could get to the well this year, but Bucky and Speedy heard about it and wanted to provide a well there "even if we have to work at night". It was very hard to get the rig on- site. There was only one small spot to drill and a large outcropping of limestone prevented them from setting up. They rented a backhoe and spent three hours to no avail on the hard rock. Then the orphans set to work with hammers and chisels. Finally, Bucky and Speedy found an air compressor and jack hammer, broke the outcropping, and removed it. The rig was finally able to squeeze into the site. one of the children drew this picture of the rig. The well at Ahikam was finished at just over 100 feet. Because there was grid power available, Craig Gresham did wiring and plumbing after the pump was set. Jacob Hansen was involved in setting the pump. If the volunteers would not have been motivated by the great need they saw, they would not have drilled for Ahikam. The well has changed the lives of the orphans and the folks who work there. Now there is water for bathing, hygiene, and cooking. They are able to keep the children clean and the place cleaner. I was in Guatemala for a few days to attend to the business end of the pro- ject and visited Ahikam with Berny. The woman greeted us warmly and showed us the orphanage home. Berny and the woman chatted warmly while I took some photos and smiled at the children and looked over the place a little. After we left, Berny and I were quiet in the truck. We were both thinking about ! " # ! Rasmussen cont’d on page 54.