Well Elim

A village in the drought

Deep hidden among the trees, where the sun burns and dust hangs like a veil over the land, lies the small village of Malal. It is stiflingly hot there. The earth is dry and cracked. Water, so self-evident to us, is here no certainty, but a daily concern.

Hours of walking for water

For years the residents of Malal had to walk miles to the river to fetch fresh drinking water. Every day anew. Women and children set out early in the morning with jerrycans on their heads. The journey was heavy and exhausting. Under the burning sun they covered long distances, along dusty paths, past parched fields. Time that could not be spent on school, work or caring for the family went into the search for water.

A well drilled

But in the middle of this simple village, something special happened. A well was drilled. A simple facility, and yet of inestimable value. For the first time, clean drinking water is available right in the heart of Malal itself. No more hours-long journeys to the river. No more daily uncertainty about whether there will be enough water. Now families can fetch water close to home: clear, safe and vital.

The name Elim

At the well is the text: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6) Elim, during Israel's journey through the desert, was the place of twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees: a place of refreshment. May this well in the village likewise be a place of refreshment, for body and soul.

Photo impression

Click on a photo to view it full size.