Needs

Ewellcon Drinking Water

Clean drinking water – from hand-dug wells to the innovative Ewellcon system at 80 metres depth.

Clean drinking water

In large parts of Sierra Leone there is no drinking water supply. For about 80% of the population, food, education, mother-and-child care and general healthcare are unaffordable.

The water that people drink comes from ditches and puddles and is collected from the roofs of primitive buildings. The high temperatures of the tropical climate and the very poor hygienic conditions give this water a very high infection risk. When drinking or preparing food, so many bacteria are ingested that many people suffer from intestinal infections and other diseases. Cleaning a wound or providing care around childbirth with this dirty water also causes many health problems.

The first wells

Around 2021 our foundation started digging wells and building clean-water storage tanks. A well is usually dug to a depth of about 10 to 15 metres. That water is already much cleaner and stays cool for longer, giving bacteria less chance to thrive. Most wells have a hand pump. Sierra Leone roughly has two seasons: the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April. There is a real risk that a well will run completely dry during the five dry months.

Every well is given a sign bearing the name of the source. The sign carries the Bible verse from which the name comes. In this way God's Word reaches everyone who needs water, every day, as a pointer to the Living Water.

The new Ewellcon system

Some of our volunteers thought about a sustainable, structural solution. That resulted in the development of an innovative yet simple and effective water pump system. The system is self-sufficient through a solar panel with battery, which powers a pump that draws pure, clean drinking water from as deep as 80 metres. This is stored underground in a tank, so residents always have cold, fresh and clean drinking water available.

The system is built so that a local solution is always available for maintenance; most parts can be bought in a nearby town. After the first pump was installed, children and adults alike could drink clear, clean drinking water for the first time in their lives.

The opening

The primary and most important goal of our foundation is the proclamation of the Gospel of free grace. The name of the foundation means "source of water". That is why we like to combine the distribution of literature, evangelism and the training of pastors with the building of water sources.

Just like the wells dug earlier, this drilled well too could be opened with God's Word. From it we read about the Fountain of Life, the water that satisfies for eternity. We were also able to sing songs together with the schoolchildren.

Help us build

This village has been helped for a long time to come. The simple but robust water system can be applied anywhere in Sierra Leone. The need for clean drinking water is high. Will you help build the source for the next village?