Water Wins - Africa
Buer Well Drilling was contacted in 2005 by employees of Innotec Group for assistance with a well drilling project in N.W. Nigeria. Some hardworking Christian Reformed businessmen had procured a drilling rig in North America and shipped it to Nigeria for Christian Reformed Missionaries to use to drill water wells. The area of Nigeria where we work is 100 Kilometers south of the Sahara Desert and the local communities are in desperate need of clean water. Over the years there were wells drilled with the drilling rig by Lambert Hunse (a volunteer from Ontario) and a resident missionary named Larry VanZee, but the desire of the participating mission organizations was to see the rig operating year around with a professional crew to utilize the rigs potential and to engage locals in a drilling business. Jeremiah Yongo (a veterinarian by trade) was recruited from the Jos area of Nigeria to organize the drilling project, learn how to operate the drilling rig, a find some local young men to train as well drillers.
After visiting Nigeria in 2004 the Innotec team of Doug Tubergen & Pete Lanser were excited to adopt the drilling project and bring their business skills to the team but they also needed some well drilling expertise. Steve Buer from Buer Well Drilling was contacted to help and after agreeing to a trip to Nigeria Steve came back excited to help this young drill team become successful. Steve, along with Buer Well Drilling employees, have made several trips to Nigeria since 2005 and are committed to assisting the Nigerian team as they develop into a self funding operation. Our job is to train the Nigerian drilling crew on-site and support the drill team from the States with parts shipments and advice. We adopted the name WaterWins for our team and the combination of several Innotec employees, Buer Well Drilling employees, Partners Worldwide, faithful individual supporters and churches from around the world, a very hardworking Nigerian team, and a big God who makes it all work, have made this a very successful water project. The drill team averages 15 to 20 wells drilled a year and completes them with hand pumps. With over 100 active wells in the area our service team makes sure they are all still in service and works with communities to develop a maintenance plan. Along with water we are involved in sanitation/hygiene, evangelism and planting churches, community development, and justice issues as we work to help the local communities help themselves. We invite you to learn more about this project at WaterWins.com. and welcome you to join us in this life giving adventure.
Read our Water Wins article that appeared in MGWA!
