Carry a 45 lbs. child on your head for 3.7 miles

Carry a 45 lbs. child on your head for 3.7 miles from wholives on Vimeo.

Photo updates from Kisumu, Kenya

Latest news from Mwandoni, Kenya

Hi guys,

I hope all is going well.  Things in Kenya are pretty good. The drill is drilling perfectly.  We had a little setback today; on the well we are drilling in Mwandoni  we have been hampered by almost 5 days of rain that has put us behind schedule, but if we could test for water today we could keep my travel plans close.  

Unfortunately, when we did our pump test to see how fast the water will recharge the well it did not recharge fast enough for us.  

The main problem is that we have hit a clay layer that is so far, over 10 meters deep.  A normal and good clay layer is maybe 1 - 2 meters deep. The problem with clay is that water moves very slowly through it. So we had to regroup, lick our wounds and get back to drilling until we find that sweet water.  

I added a couple photos for your enjoyment, the last two, one is from a boy who makes his own soccer balls out of plastic sacks and string. I thought it to be very cool and it really works quite well.  The last shot was of my sunset tonight.  This is an untouched picture.  I had a huge falling sun perfectly behind this beautiful bowbau tree. By the way, I have sent that sunset to you it should be there in just a few more hours.

-John

Mwandoni is about an hour away from Mombasa, Kenya.

John is back in Kenya -- The latest photos of the Village Drill

The Village Drill Just dropped a well in at Midadoni primary school. This school has been using its school funds to buy water and the school has really suffered but with a donation from Vraiterre they will now have the only well in the area and will have plenty of water for themselves and will be able to sell the excess to the neighboring villages.

Is it even possible to imagine?

How many different cow parts can you identify in our beef pilau that we had for lunch?

Today was awesome!

Drilling for water in Mnyenzeni, Kenya

The Village Drill at work in Mnyenzeni, Kenya. We're creating water, jobs, community involvement.

A firsthand account of the Village Drill by a Kenyan woman

This passage is a firsthand account by Lucy Luusah-Mutuku from Kenya on how she found out about the Village Drill and the impact / potential it has for her community.  

I am Lucy Luusah-Mutuku from Kenya in East Africa. I come from Mwala constituency, Mwala District, Masii Location, Embondo/ Embui Village. I come from a family of ten, four brothers and four sisters.

I am a widow and a mother of three daughters, Jean, Joan, and Mary all now grown adults, one grandson Richard Liam Kiarie from Joan and her husband Alex. Our Father George Luusah was a Primary School Teacher/Principle (headmaster), my mother Monicah Nzivi was a house wife, she taught other women in the Village how to crochet and how to bake Cakes with charcoal stoves.  

I attended Kenya Institute of Psychological Counselling (2002-2004) and received a Higher Diploma In Psychology and a crash Trainer of trainers course. I am currently an Associate Counselor with Kenya Counselling Association (KCA).

I'm currently counselling privately part time. My heart is set out to counsel a certain very needy community of people in my country (urban refugees). I am waiting for many things to get aligned then I can have a place to do full time counselling.

The year of 2012 rolled in and many people were out in their minds to see what businesses are unfolding. Neighboring countries of Southern Sudan which includes Kenya had the opportunity open for them to help Sudan start from the scratch and that included building their economy and feeding the citizens. Small, Medium and Large Companies and individuals have had the opportunity to take consumer goods there.

I thought to myself, large quantities of short term consumer products is what I want to do, that way the "demand" will chase me to "supply" and long life milk came into my mind. ( It would take Sudan a while before they could settle have farms and produce milk for the nation. Long life milk is good for more than a week shelf life, they have very small packets to medium packets, and this is very affordable by almost anyone, milk is a daily consumed product by infants, babies to adults the whole family. ) 

Pastor Partrick used to travel to Sudan to do business, one day during our frequent talks, I told him I was interested in taking Long Life milk to Sudan. He then said he would introduce me to his cousin Haron Wachira who was knew more about packaging and transportation to Sudan. So we called him just to find he was leaving that day for Sudan and he would then meet me after three weeks when he returned, ( Meanwhile, a man who comes from my place Davies has a sister- in -law who works in Sudan and I requested him to check how much a half litter of Long life milk costs  and she said, half litre packet cost 5 US Dollars in Sudan! the same would cost less than half a dollar at our shops so this looked like a good business). 

Three weeks later we met in a restaurant had tea and talked about the Long Life milk business and what it entails, and about many other businesses; then Haron said" Lucy I would like to introduce you to another business which I think would do very well in your area!'' ( He meant Ukambani!, Now Ukambani is the area of Districts where I come from and these districts are semi arid! ) He then talked about the Village Drill and he showed pictures from his Ipad of the drill and how it worked. I listened keenly and I thought Ha! this is it! This was a little easier and more rewarding.  

I saw myself now helping needy people from a different perspective, ( I wanted to help people with Psychological Counselling and now I will help them even more! I felt awakened and suddenly I bubbled up with excitement and I knew this is what I wanted to do.)

I thought the Milk had more hassles, hiring of the tracks for transport, travelling to Sudan being on the road for days, the bookings, the supervision and Sudan hadn't cleared with the rebels it would be dangerous for me! My mind turned 360 degrees and I saw the whole of the very Ukambani, (with several Districts and Locations with lots of Villages) and Northern part of Kenya.

Now I knew I could be busy and I wanted to be busy, choosing to do Village Drill was the best for me to bring clean water to these semi -arid communities. I thought it would be best to own the Drill, this was not going to be easy. I wondered where I was to get the 14,000 US Dollars ( Equiv to 1.5 Million Kenyan Shilling) so I thought of my long standing dear friend Mr. Richard Jones of UK, at this moment he was in Tanzania but soon he would pass through Nairobi on his way to London for another work appointment. 

I thought I would talk to him about the Drill and request him to loan me the money, it was going to be hard but I would try anyway.

In February he came to Nairobi and I visited with him, I introduced the Village Drill to him and explained the best I knew how, and gave him the WHOlives Website. He took interest to meet Haron and hear more, I scheduled a meeting to meet, and Haron met us at a town Restaurant and explained to Mr Richard Jones with clarity, Haron then told us about Mr. John Renouard the Founder of the Village Drill and happened to be in the country at the time, at Mombasa training people and supervising drilling there. Richard Jones requested to meet him, he would have gone to Mombasa to meet John Renouard but he had lots of other things going on before leaving for UK.  John Renouard flew to Nairobi (45 minutes flight) and we all went to meet him at the Airport. We turned out to be a group of about 8 people who met at an airport restaurant. The restaurant provided a section where Mr. Renouard had a small class where he presented extensively with pictures and information about the village drill. This worked perfectly, other passersby would even listen, and so we had a little learning class. We all had lunch snack there and we parted. Actually as John went to take his flight back Richard Jones and I were approached by a young man who told us he had heard all and that he wanted to know how he could have water drilled at his Village in Bungoma in Western Kenya; we then exchanged contacts so that we are able to reach out to his village and community.

Richard Jones and John Renouard had a lengthy talk at the Airport and they came to an agreement on the purchase terms, Richard Jones since then has paid for the Village Drill making us the first ones to buy the Drill in the country, which also makes us the first to buy the first Kenyan drill assembled by Kenyans for Kenyans. (Richard Jones is watching this happy Guinea Pig, he is keenly observing and if all goes well, He will join the effort and support in many diverse ways.)

This coincided with my long awaited plans to visit the USA for my holidays for two months ( I had not taken holidays for very many years I really needed one!and everyone reckoned I really needed one! ) So mid May I left for USA, and during my visit in the USA I attended a meeting on talks on the Village Drill and among them was a Ugandan and a Sudanese, we all agreed that apart from the Village Drill being a business it also changes the Lives of the Villagers in a great way. 

I personally grew up in the Village and homes in these Villages have domestic cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys, chicken, dogs and cats, all these animals drink water! (I dare to say something I said in one of the meetings that sometimes it gets so dry that goats climb trees to nibble at the tree tops … A few boreholes will help.

In Masai land people have lost their total wealth because their entire herd of cattle died due to long draughts ... A few Boreholes will help.

Women travel long distances in search of Water, they get so tired and dehydrated from the scorching sun and strong winds and dusty heat … A few Boreholes will help.

Bulls which help the village people with plowing their shambas (lands) and donkeys which help with carrying goods and fetching the scarce water get fewer and fewer due to famine, they die, others are sold to pay school fees for children or sold for there is no grass to feed on, or for the family to buy food while they wait for the rain which has now been disturbed by the Global Warming to so alarmingly ...... A few Boreholes will help.

School children (primary and Highschool ages) cannot do their homework for after classes they go distances to fetch water so they get tired, they eat late and they cant do well at school ..... A few boreholes will help.

The few Man-made Dams and wells in riverbeds are shared by humans and animals thus alot of Waterbone diseases like Bilhaziar, Dysentry, Typhoid, many types of Amoebiasis  and many other intestinal protozoa diseases ....... A few Boreholes will help.

I have personally suffered Typhoid Fever and it is a terrible disease and although it is treatable with strong antibiotics, it is a killer. Not everybody in the Villages can afford these expensive medications, but herbs and trees of the forests have helped these villagers they survive a lot of deadly diseases. In many homes now they put a chemical called Water Guard and studies show this is a dangerous detergent. Others do well to boil water but one cant boil water for washing bodies, dishes, clothes, and cook, many homes have adapted to bottled water for drinking and many families cannot afford this, they still in their basic needs level of Food, Shelter and clothing ......... A few Boreholes will help. 

Lastly when Boreholes are present in every possible short distances people will be able to do little farming of small foods like cabbages, kale, spinach, potatoes, carrots and herbs like coriander, rosemary garlic, peppers and Tubers and Vegetables. People will live healthy lives and many diseases will be eradicated.

Families with boreholes will be obligated to plant a tree or trees, this will help bring rain! I still believe the Old School teachings! If outdated I am sorry.

Please support us to go and drill Village Boreholes, together we will have helped mankind in measures you cannot imagine. When we help them, they will help themselves and others too and we all will make the Earth a better place for us all. 

Lets love one another and change our World, It is our World! 

Please support Mr John Renouard and Verlyn Harris the founders of the Village Drill to make more Village Drills, please visit their website www WHOlives.org and see this great noble work. for The continent of Africa is three quarters Arid land , let us all revive this fertile land which has helped the whole world with its Natural Resources.   

Lucy Luusah-Mutuku with board member George Veronis